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. Compare arachnid.
3. a contemptible or unimportant person.

adjective

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

   an insect bite; insect powder.

insect

/ ˈɪnsɛkt /

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 entomic
2. (loosely) any similar invertebrate, such as a spider, tick, or centipede
3. a contemptible, loathsome, or insignificant person

insect

/ ĭn′sĕkt′ /

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

Derived Forms

• inˈsectean, adjective
• ˈinsect-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• in·sec·ti·val [in-sek-, tahy, -v, uh, l], adjective
• non·insect noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of insect¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin insectum, noun use of neuter of insectus, past participle of insecāre “to incise, cut”; translation of Greek éntomon “insect,” literally, “notched or incised one”; entomo-; segment

Word History and Origins

Origin of insect¹

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

Example Sentences

Only weeks earlier I’d run into a tarantula on the trail’s edge clutching a still-living insect in its long furry arms — several hikers were hovering over it, snapping photos with paparazzi-like fervor.

From Los Angeles Times

Another approach involves replacing standard meat with such options as insects or plant-based imitation meats.

From Salon

Scientists believe they have found a quirky way to fight mosquito-spread diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and Zika - by turning male insects deaf so they struggle to mate and breed.

From BBC

The technique is a form of extreme close-up photography and can be used to capture small objects, flowers and insects.

From BBC

“I like working with blood sucking insects because of their uniqueness and the ick factor, complex interactions with their hosts and their fascinating role in both ecological and human health contexts,” Insaurralde said.

From Salon

Related Words

• ant
• aphid
• bee
• beetle
• butterfly
• cockroach
• dragonfly
• flea
• fruit fly
• gnat
• grasshopper
• ladybug
• mite
• mosquito
• moth
• pest
• spider
• termite
• tick