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

This includes the insect Rhodnius prolixus, which like mosquitoes have piercing-sucking mouthparts that penetrate skin.

From Salon

The next morning, Mr Branscombe - armed with insect spray, gloves and other garden tools - checked it over and found no further stowaways.

From BBC

Landscapes with native plants, on the other hand, will require less water use and less pollution from gas-powered lawn mowers and offer better support for our threatened birds and insect pollinators.

From Los Angeles Times

Traditionally, nut farmers have tackled the insect with chemical pesticides, or by destroying “mummies” — almonds left over after harvest.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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