insect

noun

IN-sekt/ˈɪn.sɛkt/

3 meanings of insect

1
six-legged animalnouncountable
A six-legged arthropod with a hard outer skeleton and up to four wings, belonging to the class Insecta.
Every insect breathes through tiny holes along the sides of its body.
Beetles make up the largest group of insects on the planet.
UsageOften before another noun: insect bites, insect repellent, insect species.
2
nouncolloquial
Any small arthropod resembling a true insect, including spiders, centipedes, and millipedes.
Note
An older and looser habit of speech sweeps spiders, centipedes and millipedes in with the true insects. You will meet it in period writing and in casual talk about whatever is crawling in a swamp or a shed.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
An older, broader sense of insect includes crawling animals beyond true insects, such as spiders, centipedes and millipedes. en.wiktionary.org
3
worthless personnounderogatorycountable
A contemptible or powerless person, regarded as beneath notice or respect.
The tyrant regarded ordinary citizens as insects beneath his notice.
"Get out of my office, you miserable little insect!" he shouted at the intern.
Similarworm, nobody, nonentity

Practice

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Origin

From Middle French insecte, from Latin īnsectum ("cut into, with a notched body"), based on the verb īnsecō ("I cut into"), from in- plus secō ("I cut"); the idea being that an insect's body is "cut into" three sections: head, thorax, and abdomen. It is a calque of Ancient Greek ἔντομον (éntomon, "insect"), from ἔντομος ("cut into pieces").

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 9 facts

English insect was borrowed through Middle French insecte from Latin īnsectum. en.wiktionary.org
The Latin form means cut into or having a notched body. en.wiktionary.org
The Latin word derives from īnsecō, meaning I cut into. en.wiktionary.org
The verb combines in- and secō. en.wiktionary.org
Latin secō means I cut. en.wiktionary.org
The name refers to the apparent division of the body into head, thorax, and abdomen. en.wiktionary.org
Latin īnsectum is a calque of Ancient Greek ἔντομον. en.wiktionary.org
Ancient Greek ἔντομον, transliterated éntomon, means insect. en.wiktionary.org
ἔντομον derives from ἔντομος, meaning cut into pieces. en.wiktionary.org