Ant
/ænt/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA small social insect that lives in organized groups.
Extra definitions
nounA small social insect with six legs.
nounAn insect that lives in a colony.
nounA small crawling insect often found near food.
Sentence Examples
An ant carried a crumb across the floor.
We saw an ant colony under the rock.
The ant disappeared into a crack.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
None
Word Origin & History
From Middle English ampte, amte, emete, amete, from Old English ǣmete (“ant”), from Proto-West Germanic *āmaitijā (literally “biting-thing, cutter”), of uncertain and debated origin (q.v.), but probably 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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
“The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters […]. But the priciest items in the market aren't the armadillo steaks or even the bluefin tuna. That would be the frozen chicatanas – giant winged ants – at around $500 a kilo.”
— 2013 July 26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects […] ”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 32:
“Wild birds tend to ant and sunbathe most frequently during periods of high humidity, particularly right after heavy or prolonged rainfall in summer.”
— 1974, Eloise Potter and Doris Hauser, “Relationship of anting and sunbathing to molting in wild birds”, in The Auk, volume 91, archived from the original on 06 Jun 2011, page 538:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
An ____ carried a crumb across the floor.