ant

Meaning

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. A Web spider.

Verb

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

Synonyms

emmet

ants

pismire

black ant

insect

formica

grasshopper

locust

red

reddish

termite

white ant

fish

🐟

Big Blue

kind of insect

ant-

-ant

carpenter ant

meat ant

ant-hill

small ant

biting

fly

✈️

flying

formic

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ænt/

Etymology

From Middle English ampte, amte, emete, amete, from Old English ǣmete (“ant”), from Proto-West Germanic *āmaitijā (literally “biting-thing, cutter”), from Proto-Germanic *ē- (“off, away”) + *maitaną (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂y- (“to cut”). Cognate with Scots emmot (“ant”), dialectal Dutch emt, empt (“ant”), German Ameise and Emse (“ant”). See also emmet.