termite

/ˌtʌrˈmaɪt/

/ˈtʌmaɪt/

Other forms: termites

A termite is a tiny insect that can cause big problems. Termites eat wood, and they can severely damage buildings. If you have termites in your house, you'd better call an exterminator.

Termites live in large colonies, like ants, and they have a habit of remaining concealed from view. These characteristics, along with their taste for wood, mean they often destroy wooden houses or other structures from the inside, leaving a thin layer of wood that hides the destruction until it's too late to stop it. In some places, it's common for people to eat termites.

Definitions of termite

1. noun

   whitish soft-bodied ant-like social insect that feeds on wood
   synonyms: white ant

   types:

   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

   Cryptotermes brevis, powder-post termite

   extremely destructive dry-wood termite of warm regions

   type of:

   insect

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