honey ant

noun

1. any of several ants, especially of the genus Myrmecocystus, that feed on honeydew or nectar and store the excess juices in the bodies of certain worker ants.

Word History and Origins

Origin of honey ant¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

There is a curious kind of ant in the southwestern states and Mexico called the honey ant.

From Project Gutenberg

The honey-ant is herself a storehouse of food in case of famine.

From Project Gutenberg

Two species which are now attached to the honey-ant were formerly honey-ants, etc.

From Project Gutenberg

Here we have the churinga ilkinia, or sacred rock-drawing, in red and white, of the honey ant totem in the Warramunga tribe.

From Project Gutenberg

Acre after acre of the soil wherein lives the honey ant is dug over for this toothsome mite.

From Project Gutenberg