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Webster 1913 Edition

Ant

Ant

,
Noun.
[OE.
ante
,
amete
,
emete
, AS.
æmete
akin to G.
ameise
. Cf.
Emmet
.]
(Zool.)
A hymenopterous insect of the Linnæan genus
Formica
, which is now made a family of several genera; an emmet; a pismire.
☞ Among ants, as among bees, there are neuter or working ants, besides the males and females; the former are without wings. Ants live together in swarms, usually raising hillocks of earth, variously chambered within, where they maintain a perfect system of order, store their provisions, and nurture their young. There are many species, with diverse habits, as agricultural ants, carpenter ants, honey ants, foraging ants, amazon ants, etc. The white ants or Termites belong to the Neuroptera.
Ant bird
(Zool.)
,
one of a very extensive group of South American birds (
Formicariidæ
), which live on ants. The family includes many species, some of which are called
ant shrikes
,
ant thrushes
, and
ant wrens
.
–
Ant rice
(Bot.)
,
a species of grass (
Aristida oligantha
) cultivated by the agricultural ants of Texas for the sake of its seed.

Webster 1828 Edition

Ant

AN'T

, in old authors, is a contraction of an it, that is if it. [See An.]

Definition 2024

ȧnt

ant

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ant"

English

A group of ants.

Alternative forms

Noun

ant ‎(plural ants)

  1. Any of various insects in the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera, typically living in large colonies composed almost entirely of flightless females.
    • 2013 July 26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects [… ]”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 32:
      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.
  2. (Internet) A Web spider.

Synonyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Verb

ant ‎(third-person singular simple present ants, present participle anting, simple past and past participle anted)

  1. (ornithology) To rub insects, especially ants, on one's body, perhaps to control parasites or clean feathers.
    • 1974 November 17, “Relationship of anting and sunbathing to molting in wild birds”, in The Auk, volume 91, page 538:
      Wild birds tend to ant and sunbathe most frequently during periods of high humidity, particularly right after heavy or prolonged rainfall in summer.

Anagrams

Breton

Noun

ant m

  1. furrow

Catalan

Noun

ant m ‎(plural ants)

  1. elk, moose

Crimean Tatar

Noun

ant

  1. oath

Declension

Synonyms

  • yemin

References

  • Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary], Simferopol: Dolya, ISBN 966-7980-89-8

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French entre ‎(“between”).

Preposition

ant

  1. between

Lithuanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ɐnt]

Preposition

añt ‎(with genitive)

  1. on

Middle Welsh

Alternative forms

  • aant

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aːnt/

Verb

ant

  1. third-person plural present indicative of mynet

Turkish

Etymology

From Old Turkic ant, from Proto-Turkic *Ānt ‎(“oath”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈant/
  • Hyphenation: ant

Noun

ant ‎(definite accusative andı, plural antlar)

  1. oath

Synonyms

  • kasem
  • yemin

Vilamovian

ant

Pronunciation

Noun

ȧnt f (plural anta)

  1. duck

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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