What does bipedally mean?
Bipedally means in a two-footed manner. It is the adverbial derivative of bipedal and is used when a speaker wants to specify that an organism moves, balances, or travels on two feet rather than with some other number of legs. In scientific and technical descriptions, the adverb can distinguish bipedal locomotion from quadrupedal, crawling, or wheel-based movement. In ordinary English, however, “on foot,” “on two legs,” and “on two feet” are usually more natural, so bipedally tends to sound formal, descriptive, or somewhat emphatic. The word is useful in biology, robotics, and discussions of evolution because it names the manner of locomotion directly without requiring a longer phrase. It also illustrates how an adjective can become an adverb by adding -ly while retaining the meaning of the underlying form.
adverbIn the manner of moving or standing on two feet; on two legs.
- In a two-footed manner, with movement or balance performed on two feet.
"The robot moved bipedally across the uneven terrain, maintaining its balance with each step."
"The robot moved bipedally across the uneven terrain, maintaining its balance with each step."
"The researchers programmed the humanoid to walk bipedally on the laboratory floor."
Every ordinary walk is a small, everyday demonstration of bipedally.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does bipedally come from?
Bipedally was formed from bipedal by adding the adverbial suffix -ly. Bipedal comes from Latin bipedalis, meaning “two-footed,” which is derived from bipes; that Latin word combines bi- (“two”) with pes (“foot”). The same Latin root underlies English pedal as well as the related forms biped and bipedal.
How bipedally is actually used
This is primarily a technical or descriptive adverb. In ordinary usage, phrases such as “on foot” or “on two legs” are usually more natural and less emphatic.
Easily confused with bipedally
Bipedal is an adjective describing something that has or uses two feet, whereas bipedally is an adverb describing an action performed on two feet.