Ant

Pronunciation

• enPR: ănt, IPA: /ænt/
• Rhymes: -ænt
• Homophones: aunt in some accents

Alternative forms

• ante, ampte

Origin

From Middle English amte, amete, from Old English ǣmette ("ant"), from Proto-Germanic *ēmaitijǭ ("ant", literally biting-thing, cutter), from Proto-Germanic *ē- ("off, away") + *maitaną ("to cut"), from Proto-Indo-European *mai- ("to cut"). Cognate with German Ameise and Emse ("ant"). See also emmet.

Full definition of ant

Noun

1. Any of various insects in the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera, typically living in large colonies composed almost entirely of flightless females
2. (Internet) A Web spider

Synonyms

• (insect) emmet archaic, pismire archaic

Hyponyms

• (insect in Formicidae) army ant, black garden ant, bull ant, carpenter ant, fire ant, garden ant, honey-pot ant, leafcutter ant, pharaoh ant, piss ant, red ant, sauba ant, thief ant, wood ant

Derived terms

Verb

1. (ornithology) To rub insects, especially ants, on one's body, perhaps to control parasites or clean feathers.

Anagrams

• nat, Nat, Nat., NAT; NTA; tan, Tan, TAN