Definition of insect Insect

/ɪˈnsɛˌkt/ - [insekt] - in•sect

We found 14 definitions of insect from 6 different sources.

What does insect mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: insects
insect - small air-breathing arthropod
		arthropod invertebrate having jointed limbs and a segmented body with an exoskeleton made of chitin
		arthropoda, phylum arthropoda jointed-foot invertebrates: arachnids; crustaceans; insects; millipedes; centipedes
		swarm, cloud a group of many things in the air or on the ground; "a swarm of insects obscured the light"; "clouds of blossoms"; "it discharged a cloud of spores"
		clypeus a shield-like plate on the front of an insect's head
		wing a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
		ala a wing of an insect
		social insect an insect that lives in a colony with other insects of the same species
		ephemeral, ephemeron anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form
		holometabola, metabola insects that undergo complete metamorphosis
		defoliator an insect that strips the leaves from plants
		pollinator an insect that carries pollen from one flower to another
		gallfly any of various insects that deposit their eggs in plants causing galls in which the larvae feed
		mecopteran any of various carnivorous insects of the order Mecoptera
		collembolan, springtail any of numerous minute wingless primitive insects possessing a special abdominal appendage that allows the characteristic nearly perpetual springing pattern; found in soil rich in organic debris or on the surface of snow or water
		proturan, telsontail any of several minute primitive wingless and eyeless insects having a cone-shaped head; inhabit damp soil or decaying organic matter
		beetle insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wings
		web spinner any of a small order of slender typically tropical insects that nest in colonies in silken tunnels that they spin
		sucking louse, louse wingless usually flattened bloodsucking insect parasitic on warm-blooded animals
		bird louse, biting louse, louse wingless insect with mouth parts adapted for biting; mostly parasitic on birds
		flea any wingless bloodsucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap
		dipteran, dipteron, dipterous insect, two-winged insects insects having usually a single pair of functional wings (anterior pair) with the posterior pair reduced to small knobbed structures and mouth parts adapted for sucking or lapping or piercing
		leaf-miner, leaf miner any of various small moths or dipterous flies whose larvae burrow into and feed on leaf tissue especially of the family Gracilariidae
		hymenopter, hymenopteran, hymenopteron, hymenopterous insect insects having two pairs of membranous wings and an ovipositor specialized for stinging or piercing
		worker sterile member of a colony of social insects that forages for food and cares for the larvae
		termite, white ant whitish soft-bodied ant-like social insect that feeds on wood
		orthopteran, orthopteron, orthopterous insect any of various insects having leathery forewings and membranous hind wings and chewing mouthparts
		phasmid, phasmid insect large cylindrical or flattened mostly tropical insects with long strong legs that feed on plants; walking sticks and leaf insects
		dictyopterous insect cockroaches and mantids
		bug general term for any insect or similar creeping or crawling invertebrate
		hemipteran, hemipteron, hemipterous insect, bug insects with sucking mouthparts and forewings thickened and leathery at the base; usually show incomplete metamorphosis
		heteropterous insect true bugs: insects whose forewings are membranous but have leathery tips
		homopteran, homopterous insect insects having membranous forewings and hind wings
		psocopterous insect small soft-bodied insect with chewing mouthparts and either no wings or two pairs
		ephemerid, ephemeropteran short-lived insect
		plecopteran, stone fly, stonefly primitive winged insect with a flattened body; used as bait by fishermen; aquatic gilled larvae are carnivorous and live beneath stones
		neuropteran, neuropteron, neuropterous insect insect having biting mouthparts and four large membranous wings with netlike veins
		odonate large primitive predatory aquatic insect having two pairs of membranous wings
		trichopteran, trichopteron, trichopterous insect caddis fly
		thysanuran insect, thysanuron primitive wingless insects: bristletail
		thysanopter, thysanopteron, thysanopterous insect an insect of the order Thysanoptera
		earwig any of numerous insects of the order Dermaptera having elongate bodies and slender many-jointed antennae and a pair of large pincers at the rear of the abdomen
		lepidopteran, lepidopteron, lepidopterous insect insect that in the adult state has four wings more or less covered with tiny scales
		pupa an insect in the inactive stage of development (when it is not feeding) intermediate between larva and adult
		imago an adult insect produced after metamorphosis
		queen the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
		air sac any of the membranous air-filled extensions of the lungs of birds
		thorax part of an insect's body that bears the wings and legs
		mentum a projection below the mouth of certain mollusks that resembles a chin
insect - a person who has a nasty or unethical character undeserving of respect
		worm, louse, dirt ball

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Wiktionary

insect (Noun)
An arthropod in the class Insecta, characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton.
insect (Noun)
Any small arthropod similar to an insect including spiders, centipedes, millipedes, etc.
insect (Noun)
A contemptible or powerless person.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

insect (n.)
One of the Insecta; esp., one of the Hexapoda. See Insecta.
insect (n.)
Any air-breathing arthropod, as a spider or scorpion.
insect (n.)
Any small crustacean. In a wider sense, the word is often loosely applied to various small invertebrates.
insect (n.)
Fig.: Any small, trivial, or contemptible person or thing.
insect (a.)
Of or pertaining to an insect or insects.
insect (a.)
Like an insect; small; mean; ephemeral.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

insect
in′sekt, n. a word loosely used for a small creature, as a wasp or fly, with a body as if cut in the middle, or divided into sections: (zool.) an arthropod, usually winged in adult life, breathing air by means of tracheæ, and having frequently a metamorphosis in the life-history.—adj. like an insect: small: mean.—ns. Insectār′ium, a place where a collection of living insects is kept; Insec′ticide, act of killing insects.—adjs. Insec′tiform, Insec′tile, having the nature of an insect.—ns. Insec′tifuge, a substance which protects against insects; Insec′tion, an incision; In′sect-net, a light hand-net for catching insects; In′sect-pow′der, a dry powder used for stupefying and killing fleas and other insects, an insecticide or insectifuge. [Fr.,—L. insectum, pa.p. of insecāre—in, into, secāre, to cut.]

Wikipedia

Insects are a group of invertebrate animals and are part of the phylum Arthropoda. They are the biological class Insecta'". Some people call insects "bugs", but this is not right; insects are insects, not "bugs". Only some insects are true bugs, which is a special group of insects.

Insects are the biggest group of animals on earth, and there are more than 800,000 different kinds (or species) of them. There are often new species of insects being found, and scientists think there are millions of species people have not found yet. There are more insects than all other kinds of animals.

Insects live all over the planet, but not many insects live in the oceans or in very cold places, such as Antarctica. The most kinds of insects live in tropical areas.

The science of insects is called entomology, and people who study insects are called entomologists.

Insect bodies.

Insects have exoskeletons (skeletons on the outside). This does not mean they have bones on the outside of their bodies. Their skeletons are made out of thin, hard pieces or plates, like armour. All together, these pieces make a hard layer around the insect’s body. The exoskeleton protects the insect. Just like our muscles connect to our bones to make us walk and stand up, the muscles of an insect connect to the exoskeleton to make it walk and move.

The body of an insect has three main parts: a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. On the head are an insect’s eyes, its antennae (they feel and smell things), and its mouth. On