sciapod

plural sciapods

1. Greekhuman sciencesA member of a mythical race of humans living in Africa, who have one single, large foot which they use to shade themselves from the rays of the sun.First known use 19th c.

   To the modern viewer, though, it is the weirdness that most enthrals: the rich, demonic and comical features, like the sciapod – a man deploying his single swollen foot to shield himself from the sun.

   2012, Simon Garfield, On the Map, Profile Books, page 48