formicary

American  

[fawr-mi-ker-ee] / ˈfɔr mɪˌkɛr i /

noun

plural

formicaries

1. an ant nest.

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formicary British  

/ ˌfɔːmɪˈkɛərɪəm, ˈfɔːmɪkərɪ /

noun

1. less common names for ant hill

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Etymology

Origin of formicary

1810–20; < Medieval Latin formīcārium ant hill, noun use of neuter of *formīcārius of, pertaining to ants. See formic, -arium

Example Sentences

The Ewing home at Southfork Ranch, where eight members of one of Texas' wealthiest families contrive to live under one roof, resembles a formicary of Neiman-Marcus showrooms.

From Time Magazine Archive

A favourite set target is the bulbous formicary of the white ant which disfigures so many of the trees of the forest.

From My Tropic Isle by Banfield, E. J. (Edmund James)

The whole life of the formicary centers upon the young, which proves they have reached a degree of civilization unknown even in some forms of higher life.

From Scientific American Supplement No. 822, October 3, 1891 by Various

He can spend a happy day in watching the busy affairs of a formicary, and to observe the progress of a bit of spider-web architecture gives him a peculiar joy.

From Days Off And Other Digressions by Van Dyke, Henry

She was moving back and forth with cautious mien, and I easily perceived was putting finishing touches to the closure of a little hole that marked the gate of her formicary hut.

From Old Farm Fairies: A Summer Campaign In Brownieland Against King Cobweaver's Pixies by McCook, Henry Christopher