formicary

American  

[fawr-mi-ker-ee] / ˈfɔr mɪˌkɛr i /

noun

plural

formicaries

1. an ant nest.

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formicary British  

/ ˌfɔːmɪˈkɛərɪəm, ˈfɔːmɪkərɪ /

noun

1. less common names for ant hill

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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

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

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)

Swarming on the extremity of the branches among which the formicary is constructed, the defenders, projecting their terminal segments as far into space as possible, eject formic acid in the direction of the enemy.

From Tropic Days 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