Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

pismire

American  
[pis-mahyuhr, piz-] / ˈpɪsˌmaɪər, ˈpɪz- /

noun

  1. an ant.


pismire British  
/ ˈpɪsˌmaɪə /

noun

  1. an archaic or dialect word for an ant

"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

Etymology

Origin of pismire

1350–1400; Middle English pissemyre, equivalent to pisse to urinate + obsolete mire ant, perhaps < Scandinavian (compare Danish myre, Swedish myra ), cognate with Dutch mier; pejorative name from stench of formic acid proper to ants


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

All of us are able to smell ants, for which the great word pismire was originally coined.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Truly 'tis said: "For ruin and the deeds preluding change, Fear not great Beasts, nor Eagles when they range: But dread the crawling worm or pismire mean, Satan selects them, for they are unseen."

From The Shaving of Shagpat; an Arabian entertainment — Complete by George Meredith

Urad, perceiving that they were gone, wished herself into her original form, but alas! her wish was not granted, and the once beautiful Urad still continued an ugly pismire.

From Eastern Tales by Many Story Tellers by L. (Laura) Valentine

Must we unto the pismire go to school,     To learn of her in summer to provide For winter next ensuing.

From Works of John Bunyan — Volume 03 by John Bunyan

Bravery and Cæsar were synonymous terms, and the little, mean, pismire ambitions of Roman politicians he despised, striding over their corrupt schemes for pelf and office like a winter whirlwind.

From Shakspere, Personal Recollections by John A. Joyce

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training