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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026in•sect /ˈɪnsɛkt/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
- Insects
- a member of a class of animals that are small, air-breathing arthropods having a body divided into three parts and having two antennae, three pairs of legs, and usually two pairs of wings:insects such as beetles, ants, and flies.
- any small arthropod, such as a spider, that looks somewhat like such an animal.
- one who deserves hate or contempt;
an unimportant person.
adj. [before a noun]
- of, relating to, or used against insects:insect spray.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026in•sect
(in′sekt),USA pronunciation n.
- Insectsany animal of the class Insecta, comprising small, air-breathing arthropods having the body divided into three parts (head, thorax, and abdomen), and having three pairs of legs and usually two pairs of wings.
- Insectsany small arthropod, such as a spider, tick, or centipede, having a superficial, general similarity to the insects. Cf. arachnid.
- a contemptible or unimportant person.
adj. - of, pertaining to, like, or used for or against insects:an insect bite; insect powder.
- Latin insectum, noun, nominal use of neuter of insectus past participle of insecāre to incise, cut (compare segment); translation of Greek éntomon insect, literally, notched or incised one; see entomo-
- 1595–1605;
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
insect /ˈɪnsɛkt/ n - any small air-breathing arthropod of the class Insecta, having a body divided into head, thorax, and abdomen, three pairs of legs, and (in most species) two pairs of wings. Insects comprise about five sixths of all known animal species, with a total of over one million named species
- (loosely) any similar invertebrate, such as a spider, tick, or centipede
- a contemptible, loathsome, or insignificant person
Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin insectum (animal that has been) cut into, insect, from insecāre, from in-2 + secāre to cut; translation of Greek entomon insectinˈsectean, inˈsectan, inˈsectile adj ˈinsect-ˌlike adj
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