insect.
An arthropod (in the Insecta class) characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton.
Meaning & usage
An arthropod (in the Insecta class) characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton.
Our shed has several insect infestations, including ants, yellowjackets, and wasps.
Any small, creeping, crawling, or slithering animal, excluding mammals, birds, and fish.
Any small, creeping, crawling, or slithering animal, excluding mammals, birds, and fish. An arthropod or invertebrate.
A contemptible or powerless person.
The manager’s assistant was the worst sort of insect.
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from Middle French insecte, from Latin īnsectum, from īnsectus (“cut into, cut up, with a notched or divided body”), from perfect passive participle of īnsecō (“to cut into, to cut up”), from in- + secō (“to cut”), from the notion that the insect's body is "cut into" three sections (head, thorax, abdomen). Calque of Ancient Greek ἔντομον (éntomon, “insect”), from ἔντομος (éntomos, “cut into pieces”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.