Showing results for ant cow.

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We all know how ants keep their herds in the shape of aphides, or ant cows, which supply them with the sweet liquid they exude.

From Project Gutenberg

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