Spanish Conversation · Level 55
75 words
Spanish word
ciempiés
Pronunciation
IPA/θjemˈpjes/
Meaning
- masculine nouncentipede
Example
¡Cuidado, hay un ciempiés en la cocina!
Watch out, there's a centipede in the kitchen!
More examples
No me gustan los ciempiés y los evito siempre.
I don't like centipedes and I always steer clear of centipedes.
Core concept
Long, flattened arthropod with many visible pairs of legs and rapid movement.
Common phrases
un ciempiés en la pared
a centipede on the wall
sentir asco por los ciempiés
be disgusted by centipedes
evitar los ciempiés
steer clear of centipedes
Similar words
insecto: Six-legged exoskeletal animal with head, thorax and abdomen, commonly able to fly or walk.
milpiés: Elongated, rounded arthropod with numerous leg pairs that advances slowly in steady fashion.
gusano: Elongated wormlike invertebrate without legs that propels itself by bending and undulating.
Definition in Spanish
Artrópodo alargado con numerosos pares de patas, de movimiento rápido y en algunas especies venenoso.
Word origin
The word combines Spanish cien 'hundred' and pies 'feet', originally a two-word description 'cien pies' that merged into the single form ciempiés.
Usage tips
- In everyday speech ciempiés refers to the fast, often predatory animal and is normally distinguished from milpiés, the slower, generally harmless millipede.