Insect
/ˈɪn.sɛkt/noun
A small arthropod animal that has six legs and generally one or two pairs of wings.
Did you know?In ancient times, insects were often associated with the spirits of the dead in various cultures, believed to carry messages from the afterlife.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sek-
“to cut or divide”
Latin
Latin
insectum
“that which is cut into pieces”
Late Latin
Late Latin
insectus
“cut into pieces; a term for insects due to their segmented bodies”
Old French
Old French
insecte
“borrowed term referring to small creatures, notably bugs and insects”
Middle English
Middle English
insecte
“a small creature, especially one that is not a vertebrate”
Modern English
English
insect
“a taxonomic class of small arthropods characterized by a segmented body and jointed legs.”