| / English Dictionary |
TERMITE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Whitish soft-bodied ant-like social insect that feeds on wood
Synonyms:
termite; white ant
Classified under:
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:
As a result, vegetation flourishes on and near termite mounds in ecosystems that are otherwise vulnerable to desertification.
(Dirt mounds made by termites in Africa, South America, Asia could prevent spread of deserts, NSF)
The transition to fungus agriculture increased the range of possible habitats for both the fungus-growing termites and their domesticated fungi.
(Researchers discover oldest evidence of 'farming' by insects, NSF)
In the parched grasslands and savannas, or drylands, of Africa, South America and Asia, termite mounds store nutrients and moisture and via internal tunnels, allow water to better penetrate the soil.
(Dirt mounds made by termites in Africa, South America, Asia could prevent spread of deserts, NSF)
Scientists from James Cook University and Ohio University discovered the oldest known examples of "fungus gardens" in 25 million-year-old fossil termite nests in East Africa.
(Researchers discover oldest evidence of 'farming' by insects, NSF)
Some termite species cultivate fungi in "gardens" in subterranean nests or chambers, helping to convert plant material into a more easily digestible termite food source.
(Researchers discover oldest evidence of 'farming' by insects, NSF)
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