insect
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Insect
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Etymology
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 (“I cut into, I cut up”), from in- + secō (“I 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”).
Pronunciation
Noun
insect (plural insects)
- An arthropod (in the Insecta class) characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton.
- Our shed has several insect infestions, including ants, yellowjackets, and wasps.
- 2013 May-June, William E. Conner, “An Acoustic Arms Race”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, pages 206–7:
- 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.
- (colloquial) Any small arthropod similar to an insect, including spiders, centipedes, millipedes, etc.
- The swamp is swarming with every sort of insect.
- (derogatory) A contemptible or powerless person.
- The manager’s assistant was the worst sort of insect.
Synonyms
- bug (colloquial)
Derived terms
- angel insect
- antiinsect
- beneficial insect
- coral insect
- deinsectization
- disinsect
- 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 screen
- insecty
- lac insect
- leaf insect
- Lord Howe Island stick insect
- microinsect
- noninsect
- Persian insect powder
- scale insect
- social insect
- stick insect
Translations
arthropod of class Insecta
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colloquial: any small arthropod
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contemptible or powerless person
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See also
Further reading
insect on Wikipedia.Wikipedia 
insecta on Wikispecies.Wikispecies 
insect on Wikiquote.Wikiquote 
Category:insect on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
Anagrams
Alternative forms
- insekt (before 1996)
Etymology
Originally having a wider meaning (sense 2), as in Aristotle. From Latin īnsectum (“bug; cut up”), from īnsecō (“I cut up into”). The Latin is a calque of Ancient Greek ἔντομον (éntomon, “bug”), from ἔντομος (éntomos).
Pronunciation
Noun
insect n (plural insecten, diminutive insectje n)
- insect, arthropod of the class Insecta
- Synonyms: gekorven dier, kerfdier
- (now uncommon) bug (any small arthropod or invertebrate that somewhat resembles an insect)
- Synonym: gekorven dier
Related terms
Descendants
- → Caribbean Javanese: insèg
- → Papiamentu: insèkt, insekt
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