ciempiés
/θjemˈpjes/masculine
The Spanish word for centipede is ciempiés.
ciempiés is a masculine noun used to refer to a segmented arthropod of the class Chilopoda.
Meaning: a segmented arthropod of class Chilopoda (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun ciempiés is invariable, which means its form does not change when referring to more than one. To express the plural, you change the article to los (e.g., los ciempiés) instead of changing the word itself.
How do you pronounce it?
/θjemˈpjes/
Did you know?
- While ciempiés is the standard term, some dialects use the word milpiés to describe a millipede, though people often use both words interchangeably despite the animals being different species.
- The word pies inside ciempiés is the same word Spanish speakers use for the human 'feet', whereas the English 'ped' in 'centipede' is a Latin root not used in common daily speech.
- The word ciempiés is a compound of 'cien' meaning 'one hundred' and 'pies' meaning 'feet', yet it is a mathematical impossibility as centipedes rarely have exactly one hundred legs.
Examples in context
- ¿Seguro que es un ciempiés?Are you sure that it's a centipede?This sentence is useful for questioning the identity of a ciempiés.Tatoeba #8006669 by Seael, translation #8160886 by magnificentgoddess
- ¿Ese insecto es un ciempiés?Is that insect a centipede?This sentence is useful for asking if an insect is a ciempiés.Tatoeba #8006672 by Seael, translation #13135427 by araneo
- Carlos logró matar al ciempiés.Carlos managed to kill the centipede.This sentence is useful for describing an action taken against a ciempiés.Tatoeba #11744571 by Seael, translation #11744564 by Amastan
- Vi un enorme ciempiés en el patio trasero de mi casa.I saw a huge centipede in the backyard of my house.
- ¡Cuidado con la escolopendra! Sus mordeduras pueden ser dolorosas.Be careful with the centipede! Their bites can be painful.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are cleaning the basement together.
- Lucía¡Mira, hay un ciempiés en la pared!Look, there is a centipede on the wall!
- Alejandro¡Qué asco! No me acerco a eso.How gross! I'm not getting close to that.
- LucíaTranquilo, Alejandro, el ciempiés es pequeño.Calm down, Alejandro, the centipede is small.
- AlejandroIgual no quiero que me muerda.Still, I don't want it to bite me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “centipede” translations and entries ciempiés, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
