TERMITE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does termite mean? 

• TERMITE (noun)
  The noun TERMITE has 1 sense:

1. whitish soft-bodied ant-like social insect that feeds on wood

  Familiarity information: TERMITE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TERMITE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Whitish soft-bodied ant-like social insect that feeds on wood

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

termite; white ant

Hypernyms ("termite" is a kind of...):

insect (small air-breathing arthropod)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "termite"):

dry-wood termite (any of various termites that live in and feed on dry wood that is not connected with the soil)

Reticulitermes flanipes (destructive United States termite)

Reticulitermes lucifugus (destructive European termite)

Mastotermes darwiniensis (Australian termite; sole living species of Mastotermes; called a living fossil; apparent missing link between cockroaches and termites)

Mastotermes electromexicus (an extinct termite found in amber in southern Mexico)

Mastotermes electrodominicus (extinct termite found in amber in the Dominican Republic)

Holonyms ("termite" is a member of...):

Isoptera; order Isoptera (order of social insects that live in colonies, including: termites; often placed in subclass Exopterygota)

 Context examples 

Researchers report that termites slow the spread of deserts into drylands by providing a moist refuge for vegetation on and around their mounds.

(Dirt mounds made by termites in Africa, South America, Asia could prevent spread of deserts, NSF)

Actually a complex mixture of isomers, other chlorinated hydrocarbons, and by-products, chlordane is used in termite and ant control, and as a protective treatment for underground cables.

(Chlordane, NCI Thesaurus)

The amount calculated in the study is similar to emissions from the Arctic tundra, or emissions from all oceans combined, or the total volume of methane emitted from wild animals and termites globally.

(Amazon trees are major source of methane emission, SciDev.Net)

Scientists had previously used DNA from modern termites to estimate that termite fungus farming began 25 to 30 million years ago.

(Researchers discover oldest evidence of 'farming' by insects, NSF)

Drylands with termite mounds can survive on significantly less rain than those without termite mounds.

(Dirt mounds made by termites in Africa, South America, Asia could prevent spread of deserts, NSF)

The fossil evidence from Tanzania confirmed that date, allowing researchers to more accurately characterize the timing and evolution of the symbiotic relationship between termites and fungi.

(Researchers discover oldest evidence of 'farming' by insects, NSF)

Termites might not top the list of humanity's favorite insects, but new research suggests that their large dirt mounds are crucial to stopping deserts from spreading into semi-arid ecosystems.

(Dirt mounds made by termites in Africa, South America, Asia could prevent spread of deserts, NSF)

The African rain forest may have served as the cradle of termite agriculture.

(Researchers discover oldest evidence of 'farming' by insects, NSF)

The results indicate that termite mounds could make these areas more resilient to climate change.

(Dirt mounds made by termites in Africa, South America, Asia could prevent spread of deserts, NSF)

The transition to fungiculture helped termites disperse to less hospitable dry savannas, and eventually to migrate out of Africa and into Asia.

(Researchers discover oldest evidence of 'farming' by insects, NSF)