insect
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French insecte, from Latin īnsectum, from īnsectus (“cut into, cut up, with a notched or divided body”), from perfect passive participle of īnsecō (“to cut into, to cut up”), from in- + secō (“to cut”), from the notion that the insect's body is "cut into" three sections (head, thorax, abdomen). Calque of Ancient Greek ἔντομον (éntomon, “insect”), from ἔντομος (éntomos, “cut into pieces”).
Inflected forms:
form: insects
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: An arthropod (in the Insecta class) characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton.
pos: noun
examples: Our shed has several insect infestations, including ants, yellowjackets, and wasps.
Nonetheless, some insect prey take advantage of clutter by hiding in it. Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.
gloss: Any small, creeping, crawling, or slithering animal, excluding mammals, birds, and fish.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
broadly
examples: Ambroſe Parey has a picture of the ſalamander, with a receipt for her bite; but there is no ſuch creature, the name being now given to a poor harmleſs inſect.
gloss: Any small, creeping, crawling, or slithering animal, excluding mammals, birds, and fish.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
broadly
specifically
examples: The learned zoologiſt of our country concludes his labours in this ſcience by the preſent publication, which contains only cruſtaceous inſects, viz. crabs and lobſters, worms and ſhells.
A slimy slow creeping animal, of the genus Helix, and order of Mollusca. The eyes of this insect are in the horns, one at the end of each, which it can retract at pleasure.
gloss: A contemptible or powerless person.
pos: noun
tags: derogatory
examples: The manager’s assistant was the worst sort of insect.
Synonyms: bug
insect
Related words: arachnid
arthropod
beetle
bug
chafer
coleopter
entomology
larva
worm
:Category:Insects
Derived words: angel insect
antiinsect
beneficial insect
coral insect
deinsectization
disinsect
fig insect
ghost insect
insectageddon
insectan
insectarium
insectdom
insected
insect hotel
insect house
insecticidal
insecticide
insectiferous
insectiform
insectile
insectivore
insectivorous
insectkind
insectless
insectlike
insectoid
insectology
insectophobe
insectophobia
insectotoxin
insect powder
insectproof
insect repellent
insect screen
insect wax
insecty
lac insect
leaf insect
Lord Howe Island stick insect
microinsect
noninsect
Persian insect powder
scale insect
social insect
stick insect
turtle-insect
wax insect
Translations:
lang: Bashkir
word: бөжәк
roman: böjək
lang: Czech
word: hmyz
lang: Finnish
word: ötökkä
lang: Finnish
word: öttiäinen
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ἔντομον
roman: éntomon
lang: Japanese
word: 虫
roman: mushi
lang: Jeju
word: 버렝이
roman: beoreng'i
lang: Korean
word: 벌레
roman: beolle
lang: Latvian
word: kukainis
lang: Malayalam
word: പ്രാണി
roman: prāṇi
lang: Malayalam
word: കീടം
roman: kīṭaṁ
lang: Māori
word: papakura
lang: Mi'kmaq
word: jujij
lang: Mi'kmaq
word: juji'ji'j
lang: Nanai
word: колан
roman: kolan
lang: Portuguese
word: bichinho
lang: Portuguese
word: inseto
lang: Russian
word: бука́шка
roman: bukáška
lang: Russian
word: козя́вка
roman: kozjávka
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: meanbh-fhrìde
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: frìde
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: biastag
lang: Spanish
word: bicho
lang: Turkish
word: haşere
lang: Turkish
word: böcek
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: بوجك
roman: böcek
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: حشره
roman: haşere
lang: Welsh
word: pryf
lang: Yoruba
word: kòkòrò