insect
/ˈɪnsekt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɪnsekt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈin-ˌsekt/ (ame, mw)
insect — 名詞
- insectsingular
- insectsplural
1. a tiny creature whose body naturally separates into three sections and that alwa
昆蟲
身體分三節、有六隻腳的小動物
a tiny creature whose body naturally separates into three sections and that always has exactly six legs — flies, bees, ants, and butterflies all belong to this group.
Noor found a strange insect with shiny green wings on her balcony this morning.
Noor 今天早上在陽台上發現了一隻長著亮綠色翅膀的奇怪昆蟲。
This insect can fly over fifty kilometres in a single day to find food.
這種昆蟲能在一天之內飛行超過五十公里來尋找食物。
collocation: insect + fly / insect + find food
Before a storm arrived, Mauricio watched insects crawl out of the soil in his garden.
暴風雨來臨前，Mauricio 看到昆蟲從他花園的泥土裡爬出來。
Arjun watched a tiny insect carry a crumb across the pavement toward its nest.
Arjun 看著一隻小昆蟲拖著一塊麵包屑穿過人行道，往牠的巢穴走去。
The insect crawled slowly up the wall and hid behind a picture frame.
那隻昆蟲沿著牆壁慢慢爬上去，躲在了一個相框後面。
- bug
informal term used for any small creature in everyday speech, but scientifically only refers to a subset (Hemiptera)
- creepy-crawly
very informal, British English; suggests fear or disgust
用法筆記
In everyday speech, people often call any small crawling or flying creature an insect, but strictly speaking spiders, centipedes, and worms are not insects.
常見錯誤
2. an insulting way to describe someone you think is weak, dishonest, or worthless
可鄙之人
軟弱、卑鄙或不值得尊敬的人
an insulting way to describe someone you think is weak, dishonest, or worthless — a person who deserves no respect.
The old man called the thief a disgusting insect as the police led him away.
那名老人對著被警察帶走的小偷大罵，說他是噁心的蟲子。
collocation: disgusting insect (as an insult)
Constanza felt like a helpless insect trapped under her manager's angry gaze.
Constanza 覺得自己像一隻無助的小蟲，被困在主管憤怒的目光下。
In the film, the villain treats everyone around him as if they were worthless insects.
在那部電影裡，反派把身邊所有人都當成不值一提的蟲子來對待。
Gabriel could not believe his boss treated him like a worthless insect.
Gabriel 不敢相信老闆把他當成一隻毫無價值的蟲子對待。
The novel describes the greedy landlord as a fat insect feeding on the poor.
那本小說把貪婪的地主描寫成一隻寄生在窮人身上的肥蟲。
用法筆記
This figurative use is quite strong and somewhat old-fashioned. It appears more often in literature and film dialogue than in everyday conversation.