insect

noun

IN-sekt/ˈɪn.sɛkt/

3 meanings of insect

1
six-legged animalnouncountable
A small animal with six legs, a hard outer shell, and often wings.
Like a tiny creature wearing a hard shell, with six little legs sticking out.
An insect landed on the window and crawled along the glass.
Bees and ants are insects that live in large groups.
UsageOften insect bites or insect spray.
2
nouncolloquial
Any small crawling creature like an insect, such as a spider or centipede, even though it is not a true insect.
Note
3
worthless personnounderogatorycountable
A person treated as weak, unimportant, or not worth caring about.
The rude boss called him an insect in front of everyone.
To the manager, the lowest clerk was just an insect to be stepped on.
Similarworm, nobody, nonentity

Practice

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Origin

From Latin insectum, meaning "cut into," because an insect's body looks divided into three parts (head, thorax, abdomen). It came into English through Middle French insecte.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

The word derives from Latin insectum, literally cut into. en.wiktionary.org
The name refers to the body's apparent division into three parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. en.wikipedia.org
English borrowed the word through Middle French insecte. en.wiktionary.org