insect

/ˌɪnˈsɛkt/

/ˈɪnsɛkt/

Other forms: insects

An insect is commonly called a bug. Flies, bees, and wasps are all insects.

Insects are the tiny marvels of the natural world. From industrious ants to dazzling butterflies, these miniature critters come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, each with its own special role in ecosystems worldwide. With over a million species identified and countless more waiting to be discovered, insects continue to fascinate scientists and inspire curiosity in nature lovers everywhere. Insect comes from the Latin phrase animal insectum, which means "animal with a cut up (segmented) body."

Definitions of insect

1. noun

   a small creature with six legs, three body fragments, two antennae, and usually wings belonging in the Arthropoda phylum
   types:

   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

   louse, sucking 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

   bug, hemipteran, hemipteron, hemipterous insect

   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

   scorpion fly

   any of various mecopterous insects of the family Panorpidae of the northern hemisphere having a long beak and long antennae; males have a tail like that of a scorpion except it is not venomous

   hanging fly

   any of various mecopterous insects of the family Bittacidae

   tiger beetle

   active usually bright-colored beetle that preys on other insects

   lady beetle, ladybeetle, ladybird, ladybird beetle, ladybug

   small round bright-colored and spotted beetle that usually feeds on aphids and other insect pests

   carabid beetle, ground beetle

   predacious shining black or metallic terrestrial beetle that destroys many injurious insects

   firefly, lightning bug

   nocturnal beetle common in warm regions having luminescent abdominal organs

   long-horned beetle, longicorn, longicorn beetle

   long-bodied beetle having very long antennae

   chrysomelid, leaf beetle

   brightly colored beetle that feeds on plant leaves; larvae infest roots and stems

   carpet beetle, carpet bug

   small beetle whose larvae are household pests feeding on woolen fabrics

   clerid, clerid beetle

   predacious on other insects; usually brightly colored or metallic

   lamellicorn beetle

   beetle having antennae with hard platelike terminal segments

   elater, elaterid, elaterid beetle

   any of various widely distributed beetles

   water beetle

   any of numerous aquatic beetles usually having a smooth oval body and flattened hind legs for swimming

   whirligig beetle

   aquatic beetle that circles rapidly on the water surface

   Xestobium rufovillosum, deathwatch, deathwatch beetle

   bores through wood making a ticking sound popularly thought to presage death

   weevil

   any of several types of beetles with a long snout, often considered pests because they feed on crops and plant products

   blister beetle, meloid

   beetle that produces a secretion that blisters the skin

   bark beetle

   small beetle that bores tunnels in the bark and wood of trees; related to weevils

   rove beetle

   active beetle typically having predatory or scavenging habits

   Anoplophora glabripennis, Asian longhorned beetle

   a beetle from China that has been found in the United States and is a threat to hardwood trees; lives inside the tree; no natural predators in the United States

   Pediculus humanus, common louse

   head or body louse

   Pediculus capitis, head louse

   infests the head and body of humans

   Pediculus corporis, body louse, cootie

   a parasitic louse that infests the body of human beings

   Phthirius pubis, crab, crab louse, pubic louse

   a louse that infests the pubic region of the human body

   Menopon gallinae, Menopon palladum, chicken louse, shaft louse

   a louse parasitic on poultry

   Pulex irritans

   the most common flea attacking humans

   Ctenocephalides canis, dog flea

   flea that attacks dogs and cats

   Ctenocephalides felis, cat flea

   flea that breeds chiefly on cats and dogs and rats

   Tunga penetrans, chigger, chigoe, chigoe flea

   small tropical flea; the fertile female burrows under the skin of the host including humans

   Echidnophaga gallinacea, sticktight, sticktight flea

   parasitic on especially the heads of chickens

   gall gnat, gall midge, gallfly

   fragile mosquito-like flies that produce galls on plants

   fly

   two-winged insects characterized by active flight

   bee killer, robber fly

   swift predatory fly having a strong body like a bee with the proboscis hardened for sucking juices of other insects captured on the wing

   fruit fly, pomace fly

   any of numerous small insects whose larvae feed on fruits

   hippoboscid, louse fly

   bloodsucking dipterous fly parasitic on birds and mammals

   mosquito

   two-winged insect whose female has a long proboscis to pierce the skin and suck the blood of humans and animals

   gnat

   any of various small biting flies: midges; biting midges; black flies; sand flies

   fungus gnat

   mosquito-like insect whose larvae feed on fungi or decaying vegetation

   fungus gnat, sciara, sciarid

   minute blackish gregarious flies destructive to mushrooms and seedlings

   crane fly, daddy longlegs

   long-legged slender flies that resemble large mosquitoes but do not bite

   bee

   any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species

   queen bee

   fertile egg-laying female bee

   soldier

   a wingless sterile ant or termite having a large head and powerful jaws adapted for defending the colony

   worker bee

   sterile bee specialized to collect food and maintain the hive

   wasp

   social or solitary hymenopterans typically having a slender body with the abdomen attached by a narrow stalk and having a formidable sting

   Mutillidae, family Mutillidae

   a family of wasps

   chalcid, chalcid fly, chalcid wasp, chalcidfly

   any of various tiny insects whose larvae are parasites on eggs and larvae of other insects; many are beneficial in destroying injurious insects

   ichneumon fly

   hymenopterous insect that resembles a wasp and whose larvae are parasitic on caterpillars and other insect larvae

   sawfly

   insect whose female has a saw-like ovipositor for inserting eggs into the leaf or stem tissue of a host plant

   ant, emmet, pismire

   social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers

   dry-wood termite

   any of various termites that live in and feed on dry wood that is not connected with the soil

   Reticulitermes flanipes

   destructive United States termite

   Reticulitermes lucifugus

   destructive European termite

   Mastotermes darwiniensis

   Australian termite; sole living species of Mastotermes; called a living fossil; apparent missing link between cockroaches and termites

   Mastotermes electromexicus

   an extinct termite found in amber in southern Mexico

   Mastotermes electrodominicus

   extinct termite found in amber in the Dominican Republic

   grasshopper, hopper

   terrestrial plant-eating insect with hind legs adapted for leaping

   cricket

   leaping insect; male makes chirping noises by rubbing the forewings together

   stick insect, walking stick, walkingstick

   any of various mostly tropical insects having long twiglike bodies

   leaf insect, walking leaf

   tropical insect having a flattened leaflike body; common in southern Asia and the East Indies

   cockroach, roach

   any of numerous chiefly nocturnal insects; some are domestic pests

   mantid, mantis

   predacious long-bodied large-eyed insect of warm regions; rests with forelimbs raised as in prayer

   leaf bug, plant bug

   small bright-colored insect that feeds on plant juices

   lygaeid, lygaeid bug

   a true bug: usually bright-colored; pest of cultivated crops and some fruit trees

   coreid, coreid bug

   a true bug

   Cimex lectularius, bed bug, bedbug, chinch

   an insect that invades homes, usually infests beds and feeds on human and animal blood

   Notonecta undulata, backswimmer

   predaceous aquatic insect that swims on its back and may inflict painful bites

   true bug

   any of various insects of the order Hemiptera and especially of the suborder Heteroptera

   water bug

   a true bug: large aquatic bug adapted to living in or on the surface of water

   assassin bug, reduviid

   a true bug: long-legged predacious bug living mostly on other insects; a few suck blood of mammals

   firebug

   a true bug: brightly colored bug that can exude a stain

   cotton stainer

   a true bug: bug that damages and stains the lint of developing cotton

   whitefly

   minute insect that feeds on plant juices; related to scale insects

   coccid insect

   scale insects and mealybugs

   louse, plant louse

   any of several small insects especially aphids that feed by sucking the juices from plants

   cicada, cicala

   stout-bodied insect with large membranous wings; male has drum-like organs for producing a high-pitched drone

   spittle insect, spittlebug

   small leaping herbivorous insect that lives in a mass of protective froth which it and its larvae secrete

   leafhopper

   small leaping insect that sucks the juices of plants

   plant hopper, planthopper

   related to the leafhoppers and spittlebugs but rarely damages cultivated plants

   psocid

   small winged insect living on the bark and leaves of trees and feeding on e.g. fungi and decaying plant matter

   Liposcelis divinatorius, book louse, booklouse, deathwatch

   minute wingless psocopterous insects injurious to books and papers

   Plectophera

   in some former classifications: name for the Ephemeroptera

   dayfly, mayfly, shadfly

   slender insect with delicate membranous wings having an aquatic larval stage and terrestrial adult stage usually lasting less than two days

   ant lion, antlion, antlion fly

   winged insect resembling a dragonfly; the larvae (doodlebugs) dig conical pits where they wait to catch e.g. ants

   lacewing, lacewing fly

   any of two families of insects with gauzy wings (Chrysopidae and Hemerobiidae); larvae feed on insect pests such as aphids

   Corydalus cornutus, dobson, dobson fly, dobsonfly

   large soft-bodied insect having long slender mandibles in the male; aquatic larvae often used as bait

   fish fly, fish-fly

   similar to but smaller than the dobsonfly; larvae are used as fishing bait

   Sialis lutaria, alder fly, alderfly

   dark-colored insect having predaceous aquatic larvae

   snakefly

   predatory insect of western North America having a long necklike prothorax

   mantispid

   insect that resembles a mantis; larvae are parasites in the nests of spiders and wasps

   spongefly, spongillafly

   hairy-bodied insect whose larvae feed on freshwater sponges

   darning needle, devil's darning needle, dragonfly, mosquito hawk, sewing needle, skeeter hawk, snake doctor, snake feeder

   slender-bodied non-stinging insect having iridescent wings that are outspread at rest; adults and nymphs feed on mosquitoes etc.

   damselfly

   slender non-stinging insect similar to but smaller than the dragonfly but having wings folded when at rest

   caddice fly, caddice-fly, caddis fly, caddis-fly

   small moth-like insect having two pairs of hairy membranous wings and aquatic larvae

   bristletail

   small wingless insect with a long bristlelike tail

   Lepisma saccharina, silverfish

   silver-grey wingless insect found in houses feeding on book bindings and starched clothing

   jumping bristletail, machilid

   wingless insect living in dark moist places as under dead tree trunks; they make erratic leaps when disturbed

   thrip, thripid, thrips

   any of various small to minute sucking insects with narrow feathery wings if any; they feed on plant sap and many are destructive

   Forficula auricularia, common European earwig

   sometimes destructive to cultivated bulbs

   butterfly

   diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings

   moth

   a winged insect with feathery antennae, usually active at night or dusk

   chrysalis

   pupa of a moth or butterfly enclosed in a cocoon

   type of:

   arthropod

   invertebrate having jointed limbs and a segmented body with an exoskeleton made of chitin
2. noun

   a person who has a nasty or unethical character undeserving of respect
   synonyms: dirt ball, louse, worm

   type of:

   disagreeable person, unpleasant person

   a person who is not pleasant or agreeable