formicary

American

[fawr-mi-ker-ee] / ˈfɔr mɪˌkɛr i /

noun

plural

formicaries

an ant nest.

formicary British

/ ˌfɔːmɪˈkɛərɪəm, ˈfɔːmɪkərɪ /

noun

less common names for ant hill

"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 formicary

1810–20; < Medieval Latin formīcārium ant hill, noun use of neuter of *formīcārius of, pertaining to ants. See formic, -arium

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.

She was moving back and forth with cautious mien, and I easily perceived was putting finishing touches to the closure of a little hole that marked the gate of her formicary hut.

From Project Gutenberg

They very soon commenced work, tunnelling the earth and erecting556 a formicary, as nearly as they could after the pattern of their home on the barrens.

From Project Gutenberg

He can spend a happy day in watching the busy affairs of a formicary, and to observe the progress of a bit of spider-web architecture gives him a peculiar joy.

From Project Gutenberg

On one occasion, I took ten Lasius niger and confined them in a specially constructed formicary so that they could not possibly leave the nest.

From Project Gutenberg

Several queens often exist in one nest, and I have seen workers drag newly fertilized queens into a formicary to enlarge their resources.

From Project Gutenberg

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