insectivorous

[ in-sek-tiv-er-uhs ]

adjective

1. feeding on insects, especially when they constitute the entire diet, as in the case of many arachnids, birds, and small mammals.
2. Botany. having specialized leaves or leaf parts capable of trapping and digesting insects, as the Venus flytrap, the pitcher plants, and the sundews.

insectivorous

/ ˌɪnsɛkˈtɪvərəs /

adjective

1. feeding on or adapted for feeding on insects

   insectivorous plants

2. of or relating to the order Insectivora

Usage Note

See entomophagy.

Other Words From

• in·sec·tiv·o·ry noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of insectivorous¹

First recorded in 1655–65; from New Latin insectivorus, equivalent to insect ( def ) + -i- ( def ) + -vorous ( def )

Example Sentences

The insectivorous bats are thought to play a key role in the surrounding ecosystems, eating crop pests and controlling disease-bearing mosquitoes.

From Scientific American

"We think bats probably evolved from a small, tree-dwelling, insectivorous mammal," Jones said.

From Reuters

In Europe, parallel declines of insectivorous swallows, house martins and swifts have all been linked to insect declines.

From Salon

Despite their reputation as ferocious predators, which they certainly could be, they were normally “frugivorous and insectivorous,” as Roosevelt put it in The Times.

From Los Angeles Times

The main thing is the species that we’re getting: the regular nets are missing a lot of the insectivorous bats that we normally see very rarely.

From Scientific American