ant cow

American

noun

an aphid that excretes honeydew and is tended by honeydew-gathering ants.

ant cow British

noun

an insect, esp an aphid, that excretes a sweet honey-like substance that is collected and eaten by ants

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ant cow

First recorded in 1870–75

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023