What does ant mean?

Definitions for ant
æntant

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word ant.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. ant, emmet, pismirenoun

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

Wiktionary

  1. antnoun

    Any of various insects in the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera, typically living in large colonies composed almost entirely of flightless females

  2. antverb

    To rub insects, especially ants, on one's body, perhaps to control parasites or clean feathers.

  3. Antnoun

    A diminutive of the male given name Anthony.

  4. antnoun

    Any of various insects in the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera, typically living in large colonies composed almost entirely of flightless females.

    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.

  5. antnoun

    A Web spider.

  6. Etymology: From Middle English ampte, 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.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Antnoun

    An emmet; a pismire. A small insect that lives in great numbers together in hillocks.

    Etymology: æmett, Sax. which Franciscus Junius imagines, not without probability, to have been first contracted to æmt, and then softened to ant.

    We’ll set thee to school to an ant, to teach thee there’s no lab’ring in the winter. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

    Methinks, all cities now but ant-hills are,
    Where when the several labourers I see
    For children, house, provision, taking pain,
    They’re all but ants, carrying eggs, straw, and grain. John Donne.

    Learn each small people’s genius, policies;
    The ant’s republick, and the realm of bees;
    How those in common all their stores bestow,
    And anarchy without confusion know. Alexander Pope, Ess. on Man.

Wikipedia

  1. Ant

    Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their geniculate (elbowed) antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists. Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies that may occupy large territories and consist of millions of individuals. Larger colonies consist of various castes of sterile, wingless females, most of which are workers (ergates), as well as soldiers (dinergates) and other specialised groups. Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called "drones" and one or more fertile females called "queens" (gynes). The colonies are described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony. Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth. The only places lacking indigenous ants are Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands. Ants thrive in moist tropical ecosystems and may exceed the combined biomass of wild birds and mammals. Their success in so many environments has been attributed to their social organisation and their ability to modify habitats, tap resources, and defend themselves. Their long co-evolution with other species has led to mimetic, commensal, parasitic, and mutualistic relationships. Ant societies have division of labour, communication between individuals, and an ability to solve complex problems. These parallels with human societies have long been an inspiration and subject of study. Many human cultures make use of ants in cuisine, medication, and rites. Some species are valued in their role as biological pest control agents. Their ability to exploit resources may bring ants into conflict with humans, however, as they can damage crops and invade buildings. Some species, such as the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) of South America, are regarded as invasive species in other parts of the world, establishing themselves in areas where they have been introduced accidentally.

ChatGPT

  1. ant

    An ant is a small, social insect that lives in a highly organized colony, typically within a complex system of tunnels in the ground or in a tree. They are known for their ability to carry objects many times their own weight and can be found in various species all over the world. Ants have a distinct body shape with elbowed antennae and a narrow waist that separates their two body segments. They belong to the family Formicidae.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Antnoun

    a hymenopterous insect of the Linnaean genus Formica, which is now made a family of several genera; an emmet; a pismire

  2. Etymology: [OE. ante, amete, emete, AS. mete akin to G. ameise. Cf. Emmet.]

Wikidata

  1. Ant

    Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 out of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and a distinctive node-like structure that forms a slender waist. Ants form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies that may occupy large territories and consist of millions of individuals. Larger colonies consist mostly of sterile wingless females forming castes of "workers", "soldiers", or other specialised groups. Nearly all ant colonies also have some fertile males called "drones" and one or more fertile females called "queens". The colonies sometimes are described as superorganisms because the ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony. Ants have colonised almost every landmass on Earth. The only places lacking indigenous ants are Antarctica and a few remote or inhospitable islands. Ants thrive in most ecosystems and may form 15–25% of the terrestrial animal biomass. Their success in so many environments has been attributed to their social organisation and their ability to modify habitats, tap resources, and defend themselves. Their long co-evolution with other species has led to mimetic, commensal, parasitic, and mutualistic relationships.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Ant

    ant, n. a small insect: the emmet or pismire.—ns. Ant′-bear, one of the largest species of the ant-eaters, found in the swampy regions in Central and Southern America, also called the Great Ant-eater; Ant′-cow (see Aphides); Ant′-eat′er, a genus of edentate South American quadrupeds, feeding on insects, and chiefly on ants, which they procure by means of their very long cylindrical tongue covered with a viscid saliva; Ant′-hill, the hillock raised by ants to form their nest: also figuratively applied, as to the earth; Ant′-thrush, a general name applied to birds of tropical and sub-tropical countries which feed to a large extent on ants. [A contr. of Emmet—A.S. æmete.]

Suggested Resources

  1. ant

    Song lyrics by ant -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by ant on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. ANT

    What does ANT stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the ANT acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

  3. Ant

    Ant vs. Aunt -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Ant and Aunt.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'ant' in Nouns Frequency: #3023

Anagrams for ant »

  1. tan

  2. Tan

  3. TAN

  4. nat

  5. Nat

  6. Nat.

  7. NAT

  8. NAT

  9. Nat

  10. Nat.

  11. nat

  12. NTA

  13. TAN

  14. Tan

  15. tan

  16. NAT; NTA; tan

  17. NTA

How to pronounce ant?

How to say ant in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of ant in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of ant in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of ant in a Sentence

  1. Turkish Proverb:

    Be thine enemy an ant, see in him an elephant..

  2. Fan Yifei:

    Monopolistic practices do not only exist in Jack Ma Ant Group, but also in other institutions. We will implement the measures that we took against Jack Ma Ant Group on other payment service entities, we will continue to regulate the irregularities in the payment market.

  3. Michael Douglas:

    Most of my career has been R-rated, my children haven’t seen most of my pictures. But when I told my son about ‘Ant-Man,’ he said, ‘Dad, you have to do this.’ He was like my agent. I’m glad I took his advice. It turned out really well.

  4. Pang Yu:

    When I use (Alibaba's) Taobao, it just pops up, telling me that I can pay with Ant Check Later.

  5. Christina Haack:

    Ant and I have made the difficult decision to separate, we are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority. We appreciate your support and ask for privacy for us and our family as we navigate the future.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

ant#1#8737#10000

Translations for ant

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"ant." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/ant>.

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    A descant
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