insectivore
pronunciation
How to pronounce insectivore in British English: UK [ɪnˈsektɪvɔ:(r)]
How to pronounce insectivore in American English: US [ɪnˈsɛktəˌvɔr, -ˌvor]
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- Noun:
- small insect-eating mainly nocturnal terrestrial or fossorial mammals
- any organism that feeds mainly on insects
Word Origin
- insectivore (n.)
- 1863, from French insectivore (1817), from Latin insectivorus, from comb. form of insectum (see insect) + vorare "devour, swallow" (see voracity).
Example
- 1. Widespread and very swift insectivore ; it is usually airborne since its toes make it difficult to perch .
- 2. About the size of a mouse , one of the first mammals to appear on earth was a mainly nocturnal insectivore .