termite
/ˈtɜːmaɪt/noun
1- a small, pale soft-bodied insect that lives in large colonies with several different castes, typically within a mound of cemented earth. Many kinds feed on wood and can be highly destructive to trees and timber.白蚁。亦称WHITE ANT.
1.1
- Order Isoptera: several families.等翅目:数科。
词源
late 18th cent.: from late Latin termes, termit- 'woodworm', alteration of Latin tarmes, perhaps by association with terere 'to rub'.