termite
pronunciation
How to pronounce termite in British English:
UK [ˈtɜ:maɪt]
How to pronounce termite in American English:
US [ˈtɜrmaɪt]
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- Noun:
- whitish soft-bodied ant-like social insect that feeds on wood
Word Origin
- termite (n.)
- 1849, back-formation from plural form termites (1781), from Modern Latin termites (three syllables), plural of termes (genitive termitis), a special use of Late Latin termes "woodworm, white ant," altered (by influence of Latin terere "to rub, wear, erode") from earlier Latin tarmes. Their nest is a terminarium (1863). Earlier in English known as wood ant or white ant.
Example
- 1. Lots of animals build homes for protection-think beaver lodges or termite mounds .
- 2. And I got this memorable image of monkey siting on a termite for a portfolio photograph .
- 3. This chimp , photographed in 2005 , displays humanlike concentration as he snags a termite snack .
- 4. In one of the most common termite species in north america , when queens die , they are replaced by their exact clones .
- 5. But the insect with the longest life span , as far as we know , is the african mound-building termite queen .