heteropterous

[ het-uh-rop-ter-uhs ]

/ ˌhɛt əˈrɒp tər əs /

Save This Word!

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the Heteroptera, in some classifications a suborder of hemipterous insects comprising the true bugs.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of heteropterous

1890–95; <New Latin Heteropter(a) + -ous. See hetero-, -pterous

Words nearby heteropterous

heterophyte, heteroplasia, heteroplasty, heteroploid, heteropolar, heteropterous, heteroptics, heteroromantic, heteroscedastic, heterosex, heterosexism

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

How to use heteropterous in a sentence

This term may be applied to the Mesothorax in heteropterous Hemiptera, in which that part lies buried under the Prothorax.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4)|William Kirby
These are the true bugs, and belong to the sub-division called Heteropterous Hemiptera.
American Pomology|J. A. Warder
In the Heteropterous section it is merely the vertical termination of their narrow nose.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)|William Kirby
In the Heteropterous section the three axes are evident, but the humeral plate is not easily made out.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)|William Kirby

It is remarkable only in the Coleoptera and Heteropterous Hemiptera, to which my observations upon it will be confined.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)|William Kirby

British Dictionary definitions for heteropterous

heteropterous

heteropteran

/ (ˌhɛtəˈrɒptərəs) /

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Heteroptera, a suborder of hemipterous insects, including bedbugs, water bugs, etc, in which the forewings are membranous but have leathery tipsCompare homopterous

Word Origin for heteropterous

C19: from New Latin Heteroptera, from hetero- + Greek pteron wing

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