insect

[in-sekt] /ˈɪn sɛkt/

noun

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.

any small arthropod, such as a spider, tick, or centipede, having a superficial, general similarity to the insects.

Compare arachnid.

a contemptible or unimportant person.

adjective

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

an insect bite; insect powder.

Origin

1595-1605; < Latin insectum, noun use of neuter of insectus past participle of insecāre to incise, cut (cf. segment); translation of Greek éntomon insect, literally, notched or incised one; see entomo-

Related forms

insectival

[in-sek-tahy-vuh l] /ˌɪn sɛkˈtaɪ vəl/ (Show IPA), adjective

noninsect, noun

Examples from the web for insect

But few scientists have tried to see whether bats have a discernible influence on insect populations.
So selection can show how the caste members of social insect societies can be different and adapted to their various roles.
Scientists have identified the oldest known insect from its fossilized jaw remains.
The insect is caught by the mucilage, then the sundew digests it.
There are no disease or insect pests worth mentioning.
For people in tropical areas where insect repellents and insecticides control mosquito-borne disease, it's a pressing concern.
insect bites and stings can cause an immediate skin reaction.
Previous studies have shown that losing a few key workers can destroy an insect society.
But if he doesn't get away fast enough, she'll turn him into insect soup.
Scientists have discovered that certain caterpillars manufacture and secrete their own insect repellent, a new study shows.

British Dictionary definitions for insect

insect

/ˈɪnsɛkt/

noun

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 related adjective entomic

(loosely) any similar invertebrate, such as a spider, tick, or centipede

a contemptible, loathsome, or insignificant person

Derived Forms

insectean, insectan, insectile, adjective
insect-like, adjective

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for insect

c.1600, from Latin (animal) insectum "(animal) with a notched or divided body," literally "cut into," from neuter past participle of insectare "to cut into, to cut up," from in- "into" (see in- (2)) + secare "to cut" (see section (n.)). Pliny's loan-translation of Greek entomon "insect" (see entomology), which was Aristotle's term for this class of life, in reference to their "notched" bodies.

First in English in 1601 in Holland's translation of Pliny. Translations of Aristotle's term also form the usual word for "insect" in Welsh (trychfil, from trychu "cut" + mil "animal"), Serbo-Croatian (zareznik, from rezati "cut"), Russian (nasekomoe, from sekat "cut"), etc.

insect in Medicine

insect in·sect (ĭn'sěkt')
n.

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.
Any of various similar arthropod animals, such as spiders, centipedes, or ticks.

insect in Science

insect

(ĭn'sěkt')
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 biomass, bug, entomology.