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formicary

American  
[fawr-mi-ker-ee] / ˈfɔr mɪˌkɛr i /

noun

formicaries plural
  1. an ant nest.


formicary British  
/ ˌfɔːmɪˈkɛərɪəm, ˈfɔːmɪkərɪ /

noun

  1. 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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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.

See Examples For:

The Ewing home at Southfork Ranch, where eight members of one of Texas' wealthiest families contrive to live under one roof, resembles a formicary of Neiman-Marcus showrooms.

From Time Magazine Archive

Sir John Lubbock chloroformed some Lasius niger belonging to his formicary.

From The Dawn of Reason or, Mental Traits in the Lower Animals by Weir, James

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 Old Farm Fairies: A Summer Campaign In Brownieland Against King Cobweaver's Pixies by McCook, Henry Christopher

A favourite set target is the bulbous formicary of the white ant which disfigures so many of the trees of the forest.

From My Tropic Isle by Banfield, E. J. (Edmund James)

The whole life of the formicary centers upon the young, which proves they have reached a degree of civilization unknown even in some forms of higher life.

From Scientific American Supplement No. 822, October 3, 1891 by Various

Zoology should always be taught with plenty of pets, menagerie resources, and with aquaria, aviaries, apiaries, formicaries, etc., as adjuncts.

From Youth: Its Education, Regimen, and Hygiene by Hall, G. Stanley

The formicaries of the two species are often in close contact, so that the nature of the soil is precisely the same.

From Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 22, November, 1878 of Popular Literature and Science by Various

On one occasion, a swarm was about to take place in one of my formicaries.

From The Dawn of Reason or, Mental Traits in the Lower Animals by Weir, James

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