leaf-cutting ant

American  

[leef-kuht-ing] / ˈlifˌkʌt ɪŋ /

noun

1. any of several tropical American ants of the genus Atta that cut and chew bits of leaves and flowers into a mash that they use to cultivate a fungus garden.

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Etymology

Origin of leaf-cutting ant

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Gerilleau abandoned his old themes almost suddenly, and the Portuguese lieutenant became a conversational figure; he knew something about the leaf-cutting ant, and expanded his knowledge.

From The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

A case of mimicry where a homopterous resembles a leaf-cutting ant 332 117.

From Darwin, and After Darwin (Vol. 1 and 3, of 3) An Exposition of the Darwinian Theory and a Discussion of Post-Darwinian Questions by Romanes, George John