insect
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GC: n

S: UNL – https://entomology.unl.edu/scilit/what-insect (last access: 1 October 2024); AM – https://australian.museum/learn/animals/insects/what-are-insects/ (last access: 1 October 2024).

N: 1. c. 1600, from Latin (animal) insectum “(animal) with a notched or divided body,” literally “cut into,” noun use of neuter past participle of insectare “to cut into, to cut up,” from in- “into” (from PIE root *en “in”) + secare “to cut” (from PIE root *sek- “to cut”). The Latin word is Pliny’s loan-translation of Greek entomon “insect” (see entomology), which was Aristotle’s term for this class of life, in reference to their “notched” bodies.

First in English in 1601 in Holland’s translation of Pliny. In zoology, in reference to a class of animals, 1753. Translations of Aristotle’s term also form the usual word for “insect” in Welsh (trychfil, from trychu “cut” + mil “animal”), Serbo-Croatian (zareznik, from rezati “cut”), Russian (nasekomoe, from sekat “cut”), etc. Insectarian “one who eats insects” is attested from 1893.

Among the adjectival forms that have been tried in English (and mostly rejected by disuse) are insectile (1620s), insectic (1767), insective (1834), insectual (1849), insectine (1853), insecty (1859), insectan (1888).

2. Insects, Centipedes, Spiders, and Scorpions: insect, hexapod.

  • A small arthropod animal characterized, in the adult state, by division of the body into head, thorax, and abdomen, three pairs of legs on the thorax, and, usually, two pairs of membranous wings.

3. Also known as: Insecta.

  • insect, (class Insecta or Hexapoda), any member of the largest class of the phylum Arthropoda, which is itself the largest of the animal phyla. Insects have segmented bodies, jointed legs, and external skeletons (exoskeletons). Insects are distinguished from other arthropods by their body, which is divided into three major regions: (1) the head, which bears the mouthparts, eyes, and a pair of antennae, (2) the three-segmented thorax, which usually has three pairs of legs (hence “Hexapoda”) in adults and usually one or two pairs of wings, and (3) the many-segmented abdomen, which contains the digestive, excretory, and reproductive organs

4. In a popular sense, “insect” usually refers to familiar pests or disease carriers, such as bedbugs, houseflies, clothes moths, Japanese beetles, aphids, mosquitoes, fleas, horseflies, and hornets, or to conspicuous groups, such as butterflies, moths, and beetles. Many insects, however, are beneficial from a human viewpoint; they pollinate plants, produce useful substances, control pest insects, act as scavengers, and serve as food for other animals (see below Importance). Furthermore, insects are valuable objects of study in elucidating many aspects of biology and ecology. Much of the scientific knowledge of genetics has been gained from fruit fly experiments and of population biology from flour beetle studies. Insects are often used in investigations of hormonal action, nerve and sense organ function, and many other physiological processes. Insects are also used as environmental quality indicators to assess water quality and soil contamination and are the basis of many studies of biodiversity.

5. All insects are arthropods—but not all arthropods are insects. For example, many people might mistakenly refer to a mite as an insect. But in fact, mites belong to the arachnid class of arthropods. Keep reading to learn more about the arthropod phylum, the insect class, and their distinct characteristics.

6. Terminological disambiguation (Spanish-English): Depending on context.

  • picadura de insecto (insect bite); picadura con aparato bucal (bite); picadura con aguijón (sting); mordedura (venomous bite = venomous or poisonous snake), but picadura (poisonous spider), picaduras y mordeduras de animales venenosos (venomous bites in general, the name of the animal is not specified); mordedura infectada, picotazo infectado or picadura infectad (infected bite).
  • desinsectación (insect control).
  • plaga de insectos (insect infestation).
  • mosquitera (insect net = mosquito net = bed net)
  • repelente de insectos or repelente de mosquitos (insect repellent or mosquito repellent).
  • insectorrubina (insectorubin).

S: 1. Etymonline – https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=insect (last access: 1 October 2024). 2. TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=insect&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 1 October 2024). 3 & 4. EncBrit – https://www.britannica.com/animal/insect (last access: 1 October 2024). 5. Terminix – https://www.terminix.com/blog/bug-facts/insects-arthropod-characteristics/ (last access: 1 October 2024). 6. Cosnautas/Libro rojo (last access: 2 October 2024); FCB.

SYN: hexapod

S: TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=insect&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 1 October 2024)

CR: Aedes aegypti, Aedes japonicus, anopheline, ant, arachnid, arthropod, culicine mosquito, flea, louse, mosquito, neonicotinoids, pest, pesticide, phasmid, Stegomyia albopicta, Toxorhynchites rutilus.