collembolan

[ kuh-lem-buh-luhn ]

/ kəˈlɛm bə lən /

Save This Word!

adjective

Also col·lem·bo·lous. belonging or pertaining to the insect order Collembola, comprising the springtails.

noun

a collembolan insect; springtail.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of collembolan

1870; <New Latin Collembol(a) order name (equivalent to Greek kóll(a) glue + émbola, plural of émbolon wedge, stopper (see embolus); so named from the collophore) + -an

Words nearby collembolan

collegiate church, collegiate institute, collegium, collegium musicum, col legno, collembolan, collenchyma, collenchyme, Colles' fracture, collet, colleterial gland

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use collembolan in a sentence

Mr. Carpenter also tells me that the Collembolan, Isotoma littoralis, is a typical northern migrant.
The History of the European Fauna|R. F. Scharff

British Dictionary definitions for collembolan

collembolan

/ (kəˈlɛmbələn) /

noun

any small primitive wingless insect of the order Collembola, which comprises the springtails

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Collembola

Word Origin for collembolan

C19: from New Latin Collembola, from Greek kolla glue + embolon peg, wedge

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