termite

IPA/ˈtɜːmaɪt/
KK[tˈɚmaɪt]IPA/ˈtɜːrmaɪt/

termite — noun

  • termitesingular
  • termitesplural

1. a small, pale social insect that forms large colonies, eats wood as its main foo

1.nounB1
Definition

a small, pale social insect that forms large colonies, eats wood as its main food source, and can seriously damage buildings, furniture, and trees

Example

The inspector found active termite tunnels inside the old wooden cabin.

collocation: termite tunnels

Lien saw a tall termite mound behind her grandmother's house in the village.

Common collocations
  • termite damage
  • termite infestation
  • termite mound
  • termite colony
  • termite tunnels
  • termite treatment
  • termite problem
Synonyms
  • white ant

    used informally but biologically incorrect — termites are not ants

Usage Note

Termites are often confused with ants, but they are a separate insect group. A termite has a thick waist and straight antennae, while an ant has a pinched waist and bent antennae.

Common Mistakes

There are white ants in the wooden fence.
There are termites in the wooden fence.
'white ant' is a misleading common name; the correct term is 'termite'.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Termites and ants look similar to the untrained eye, but they belong to different insect orders. Termites (order Isoptera) have a broad, straight waist and straight antennae, while ants (order Hymenoptera) have a narrow, pinched waist and bent antennae. Carpenter ants are a type of ant that also tunnels into wood, but they do not eat it — they merely nest inside it. Termites actually consume the wood they tunnel through, which makes them far more destructive to buildings. A simple test: if you see winged insects swarming near a window, look at the wings — termites have two pairs of equal length, while ants have front wings longer than the back pair.

termite ↗ant ↗carpenter ant

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • termite inspection
  • timber termites
  • subterranean termites
  • drywood termites

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'termite' comes from the Latin 'termes' (a woodworm or wood-boring insect), via the scientific Latin genus name 'Termes' used in early classification. It entered English in the mid-18th century through works of natural history, replacing the older folk name 'white ant'.