in·sect ( n s kt )n.1. a. Any of numerous usually small arthropod animals of the class Insecta, having an adult stage characterized by three pairs of legs and a body segmented into head, thorax, and abdomen and usually having two pairs of wings. Insects include the flies, crickets, mosquitoes, beetles, butterflies, and bees. b. Any of various similar arthropod animals, such as spiders, centipedes, or ticks. See Regional Note at lightning bug. 2. An insignificant or contemptible person.
[Latin  nsectum, from neuter past participle of nsec re, to cut up (translation of Greek entomon, segmented, cut up, insect) : in-, in; see in-2 + secre, to cut; see sek- in Indo-European roots.]
insect adj. insec·tival (nsk-tv l) adj. |
insect Noun 1. a small animal that has six legs and usually has wings, such as an ant, fly or butterfly 2. (loosely) any similar invertebrate, such as a spider, tick, or centipede [Latin insectum (animal that has been) cut into]
insect (nskt) 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. See Notes at biomassbugentomology |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. |  insect - small air-breathing arthropodarthropod - invertebrate having jointed limbs and a segmented body with an exoskeleton made of chitin clypeus - a shield-like plate on the front of an insect's head wing - a movable organ for flying (one of a pair) ala - a wing of an insect social insect - an insect that lives in a colony with other insects of the same species ephemeral, ephemeron - anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form defoliator - an insect that strips the leaves from plants pollinator - an insect that carries pollen from one flower to another gallfly - any of various insects that deposit their eggs in plants causing galls in which the larvae feed mecopteran - any of various carnivorous insects of the order Mecoptera collembolan, springtail - any of numerous minute wingless primitive insects possessing a special abdominal appendage that allows the characteristic nearly perpetual springing pattern; found in soil rich in organic debris or on the surface of snow or water proturan, telsontail - any of several minute primitive wingless and eyeless insects having a cone-shaped head; inhabit damp soil or decaying organic matter beetle - insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wings web spinner - any of a small order of slender typically tropical insects that nest in colonies in silken tunnels that they spin louse, sucking louse - wingless usually flattened bloodsucking insect parasitic on warm-blooded animals flea - any wingless bloodsucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap dipteran, dipteron, dipterous insect, two-winged insects - insects having usually a single pair of functional wings (anterior pair) with the posterior pair reduced to small knobbed structures and mouth parts adapted for sucking or lapping or piercing leaf miner, leaf-miner - any of various small moths or dipterous flies whose larvae burrow into and feed on leaf tissue especially of the family Gracilariidae worker - sterile member of a colony of social insects that forages for food and cares for the larvae termite, white ant - whitish soft-bodied ant-like social insect that feeds on wood phasmid, phasmid insect - large cylindrical or flattened mostly tropical insects with long strong legs that feed on plants; walking sticks and leaf insects bug - general term for any insect or similar creeping or crawling invertebrate psocopterous insect - small soft-bodied insect with chewing mouthparts and either no wings or two pairs plecopteran, stone fly, stonefly - primitive winged insect with a flattened body; used as bait by fishermen; aquatic gilled larvae are carnivorous and live beneath stones odonate - large primitive predatory aquatic insect having two pairs of membranous wings | | 2. | insect - a person who has a nasty or unethical character undeserving of respect |
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