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Added 2 October 2026

ant

/ænt/ symbol

Categories: AnimalsUncommon Words

In Latin: formīca Wiktionary

symbol Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ant at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. ISO 639-3 language code for Antakarinya.

noun

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

verb

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

Origin

From Middle English ampte, amte, amete, amote, ante, emete, emot, emotte, empt, empte, from Old English ǣmete, ǣmette, ǣmytte, ǣmætte (“ant”), from Proto-West Germanic *āmaitijā (“ant”), of uncertain and debated origin (q.v.), but probably from Proto-Germanic *ē- (“off, away”) + *maitaną (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂y- (“to cut”). See also emmet. Cognate with Yola emotee, emothee (“ant”), West Frisian eamel, eamelder, eameler (“ant”), Alemannic German Ameisse (“ant”), Bavarian Åmasn, Åmeisn (“ant”), Cimbrian amasa (“ant”), Dutch emt (“ant”), German Ameise, Emse (“ant”), Low German Emk (“ant”), Vilamovian ömys (“ant”), Yiddish אַמייזע (ameyze, “ant”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: emmetpismirecounteractiveantikelepantennabaittnaingmulescurrieraunt

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