Word
insect
Phoneticsin·sect
US/ˈɪnˌsɛkt/
UK/ˈɪnsɛkt/
Definitions
01small six-legged animal
n. a small animal with six legs, three body parts, and usually wings.
n. an arthropod of the class Insecta, characterized by a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body, and three pairs of jointed legs.
“An ant is a common insect that lives in large groups underground.”
“The biologist identified several new species of insect during her expedition to the remote tropical rainforest.”
Synonyms
02insignificant person
n. a person you think is weak, annoying, or not important.
n. a person viewed as contemptible, insignificant, or powerless. Often used as a pejorative to dehumanize the target.
“The cruel boss treated his workers like insects.”
“In the villain's monologue, he dismissed his rivals as mere insects who were unworthy of his attention.”
Informal · Vulgar
Usage
Usually used in a metaphorical sense to express extreme dislike or superiority.
Etymology
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, 𐌕𐌏 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 into pieces”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/insect