Insect
(In"sect) a.
1. Of or pertaining to an insect or insects.
2. Like an insect; small; mean; ephemeral.
Insecta
(||In*sec"ta) n. pl. [NL. See Insect.]
1. (Zoöl.) One of the classes of Arthropoda, including those that have one pair of antennæ, three pairs of
mouth organs, and breathe air by means of tracheæ, opening by spiracles along the sides of the body. In
this sense it includes the Hexapoda, or six-legged insects and the Myriapoda, with numerous legs. See
Insect, n.
2. (Zoöl.) In a more restricted sense, the Hexapoda alone. See Hexapoda.
3. (Zoöl.) In the most general sense, the Hexapoda, Myriapoda, and Arachnoidea, combined.
The typical Insecta, or hexapod insects, are divided into several orders, viz.: Hymenoptera, as the bees
and ants; Diptera, as the common flies and gnats; Aphaniptera, or fleas; Lepidoptera, or moths and
butterflies; Neuroptera, as the ant-lions and hellgamite; Coleoptera, or beetles; Hemiptera, as bugs,
lice, aphids; Orthoptera, as grasshoppers and cockroaches; Pseudoneuroptera, as the dragon flies and
termites; Euplexoptera, or earwigs; Thysanura, as the springtails, podura, and lepisma. See these words
in the Vocabulary.
Insectary
(In"sec*ta*ry) n. A place for keeping living insects. — In`sec*ta"ri*um n. [L.]
Insectation
(In`sec*ta"tion) n. [L. insectatio. See Insectator.] The act of pursuing; pursuit; harassment; persecution.
[Obs.] Sir T. More.
Insectator
(In`sec*ta"tor) n. [L., fr. insectari to pursue, freq. fr. insequi. See Ensue.] A pursuer; a
persecutor; a censorious critic. [Obs.] Bailey.
Insected
(In"sect*ed) a. Pertaining to, having the nature of, or resembling, an insect. Howell.
Insecticide
(In*sec"ti*cide) n. [Insect + L. caedere to kill.] An agent or preparation for destroying insects; an
insect powder. — In*sec"ti*ci`dal a.
Insectile
(In*sec"tile) a. Pertaining to, or having the nature of, insects. Bacon.
Insection
(In*sec"tion) n. [See Insect.] A cutting in; incisure; incision.
Insectivora
(||In`sec*tiv"o*ra) n. pl. [NL., from L. insectum an insect + vorare to devour.] (Zoöl.)
1. An order of mammals which feed principally upon insects.
