insect
Pronunciation: /ˈɪn.sɛkt/
The English word “insect” has 4 meanings listed here.
noun
- An arthropod (in the Insecta class) characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton.
- Any small, creeping, crawling, or slithering animal, excluding mammals, birds, and fish.
- An arthropod or invertebrate.
- A contemptible or powerless person.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French insecte, from Latin īnsectum, from īnsectus (“cut into, cut up, with a notched or divided body”), from perfect passive participle of īnsecō (“to cut into, to cut up”), from in- + secō (“to cut”), from the notion that the insect's body is "cut into" three sections (head, thorax, abdomen). Calque of Ancient Greek ἔντομον (éntomon, “insect”), from ἔντομος (éntomos, “cut…
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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.