hymenopteran

[ hahy-muh-nop-ter-uhn ]

adjective

1. hymenopterous.

noun

1. Also hy·me·nop·ter []. a hymenopterous insect.

hymenopteran

/ ˌhaɪmɪˈnɒptərən /

noun

1. any hymenopterous insect

hymenopteran

/ hī′mə-nŏp′tər-ən /

1. Any of various insects of the order Hymenoptera, having two pairs of wings and a characteristic thin constriction that separates the abdomen from the thorax. Some hymenopterans live in complex social groups. Hymenopterans include the ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hymenopteran¹

First recorded in 1875–80; from New Latin Hymenoptera, the name of the taxonomic order + -an; hymenopteron ( def )

Example Sentences

They found the same 12 "families" of peptides and proteins in all the hymenopteran venoms analyzed.

From Science Daily

Termites, Dr. Henderson said, “were the first animals to form societies,” starting down the communal path about 200 million years ago, some 50 million years earlier than the ants and their hymenopteran cousins, the bees.

From New York Times

Strong evidence in favour of Weismann's views does, however, at first sight seem to be furnished by social hymenoptera in other respects.

From Project Gutenberg

The butterflies, moths, and hymenoptera, are few in number, and almost all seem to be common European species, whose presence is explained by the same causes as those which have introduced the birds.

From Project Gutenberg

Leaving out of consideration the tubicolous annelidæ, the mussels and stone-boring molluscs, the weaving caterpillars, and finally spiders, even the non-social hymenoptera present, among many insects, examples of a very skilful adaptation of materials.

From Project Gutenberg