51Թ

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View synonyms for

insect

[in-sekt]

noun

  1. any animal of the class Insecta, comprising small, air-breathing arthropods having the body divided into three parts (head, thorax, and abdomen), and having three pairs of legs and usually two pairs of wings.

  2. any small arthropod, such as a spider, tick, or centipede, having a superficial, general similarity to the insects.

  3. a contemptible or unimportant person.



adjective

  1. of, pertaining to, like, or used for or against insects.

    an insect bite; insect powder.

insect

/ ˈɪԲɛ /

noun

  1. any small air-breathing arthropod of the class Insecta, having a body divided into head, thorax, and abdomen, three pairs of legs, and (in most species) two pairs of wings. Insects comprise about five sixths of all known animal species, with a total of over one million named species

  2. (loosely) any similar invertebrate, such as a spider, tick, or centipede

  3. a contemptible, loathsome, or insignificant person

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

insect

  1. Any of very numerous, mostly small arthropods of the class Insecta, having six segmented legs in the adult stage and a body divided into three parts (the head, thorax, and abdomen). The head has a pair of antennae and the thorax usually has one or two pairs of wings. Most insects undergo substantial change in form during development from the young to the adult stage. More than 800,000 species are known, most of them beetles. Other insects include flies, bees, ants, grasshoppers, butterflies, cockroaches, aphids, and silverfish.

  2. See Notes at biomass bug entomology

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Other 51Թ Forms

  • insectival adjective
  • noninsect noun
  • ˈ𳦳ٱ𲹲 adjective
  • ˈԲ𳦳-ˌ adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of insect1

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin insectum, noun use of neuter of insectus, past participle of Բ “to incise, cut”; translation of Greek éԳٴdzDz “insect,” literally, “notched or incised one”; entomo-; segment
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of insect1

C17: from Latin insectum (animal that has been) cut into, insect, from Բ, from in- ² + to cut; translation of Greek entomon insect
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

There was long-winded indulgence and lovely itty-bitty works, over in a flash but suggestive of a full and lovely life, like that of an insect.

From

“In my ears, on my eyes,” said West Ranch pitcher Hunter Manning of the insect invasion.

From

An estimated 250 million bees escaped from an overturned truck in the US state of Washington on Friday, sparking warnings from authorities for the public to avoid the swarm of stinging insects.

From

"The situation is very dire," says Najwa, "the insects come at her, I have to cover her with a scarf so nothing touches her".

From

“The native species can’t be here, and all the birds and the insects that are supposed to be in this area, they don’t want the mustard.”

From

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in secretInsecta