insect definition

English insect definition

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪnsɛkt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪnsɛkt

Noun

insect (plural insects)

1. 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.

2. (colloquial) Any small arthropod similar to an insect, including spiders, centipedes, millipedes, etc.

   The swamp is swarming with every sort of insect.

3. (derogatory) A contemptible or powerless person.

   The manager’s assistant was the worst sort of insect.

Synonyms

• bug (colloquial)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• arachnid
• arthropod
• beetle
• bug
• chafer
• coleopter
• entomology
• larva
• worm

Further reading

• insect on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• insecta on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• insect on Wikiquote.Wikiquote
• insect on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Anagrams

• ceints, incest, nicest, scient

Dutch insect definition

Alternative forms

• (before 1996) insekt

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

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈsɛkt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: in‧sect
• Rhymes: -ɛkt

Noun

insect n (plural insecten, diminutive insectje n)

1. insect, arthropod of the class Insecta.

   Synonyms: gekorven dier, kerfdier

2. (now uncommon) bug (any small arthropod or invertebrate that somewhat resembles an insect)

   Synonym: gekorven dier

Related terms

• insecticide

Descendants

• → Caribbean Javanese: insèg
• → Papiamentu: insèkt, insekt