This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
insect
[ in-sekt ]
/ ˈɪn sɛkt /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
any animal of the class Insecta, comprising small, air-breathing arthropods having the body divided into three parts (head, thorax, and abdomen), and having three pairs of legs and usually two pairs of wings.
any small arthropod, such as a spider, tick, or centipede, having a superficial, general similarity to the insects.Compare arachnid.
a contemptible or unimportant person.
adjective
of, pertaining to, like, or used for or against insects: an insect bite; insect powder.
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of insect
OTHER WORDS FROM insect
in·sec·ti·val [in-sek-tahy-vuhl], /ˌɪn sɛkˈtaɪ vəl/, adjectivenon·in·sect, nounWords nearby insect
insculp, inseam, in search of, in season, in secret, insect, Insecta, insectarium, insectary, insecticide, insectifuge
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use insect in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for insect
insect
/ (ˈɪnsɛkt) /
noun
any small air-breathing arthropod of the class Insecta, having a body divided into head, thorax, and abdomen, three pairs of legs, and (in most species) two pairs of wings. Insects comprise about five sixths of all known animal species, with a total of over one million named speciesRelated adjective: entomic
(loosely) any similar invertebrate, such as a spider, tick, or centipede
a contemptible, loathsome, or insignificant person
Derived forms of insect
insectean, insectan or insectile, adjectiveinsect-like, adjectiveWord Origin for insect
C17: from Latin insectum (animal that has been) cut into, insect, from insecāre, from in- ² + secāre to cut; translation of Greek entomon insect
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
Medical definitions for insect
insect
[ ĭn′sĕkt′ ]
n.
Any of numerous usually small arthropod animals of the class Insecta, having an adult stage characterized by three pairs of legs and a body segmented into head, thorax, and abdomen and usually having two pairs of wings.
Any of various similar arthropod animals, such as spiders, centipedes, or ticks.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for insect
insect
[ ĭn′sĕkt′ ]
Any of very numerous, mostly small arthropods of the class Insecta, having six segmented legs in the adult stage and a body divided into three parts (the head, thorax, and abdomen). The head has a pair of antennae and the thorax usually has one or two pairs of wings. Most insects undergo substantial change in form during development from the young to the adult stage. More than 800,000 species are known, most of them beetles. Other insects include flies, bees, ants, grasshoppers, butterflies, cockroaches, aphids, and silverfish. See Notes at biomass bug entomology.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.