myrmecoidadj.
/ˈməːmᵻkɔɪd/, U.S. /ˈmərməˌkɔɪd/ Resembling an ant in form or behaviour; (Zoology) myrmecomorphic. Also: of or relating to ants.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Hymenoptera > [adjective] > belonging to division Petiolata > of or relating to ants > resembling ants
formicarian1607
myrmecic1789
myrmecoid1861
formicine1885
1861 Englishwoman's Domest. Mag. 3 59 It was observed by a very ancient and learned individual, that the sluggard might imbibe information by inspecting the regularity of myrmecoid evolutions.
1898 Nat. Sci. May 326 Myrmecoid animals can be protected by this resemblance..against insectivorous birds which do not eat ants.
1921 Trans. Entomol. Soc. London 309 These are the true guests, or Myrmecoid Symphiles.
1976 M. J. Lasky Utopia & Revol. (1977) i. 5 This notion of human civic virtue as a form of myrmecoid discipline, or the ant as hero, is an idea which crawls through all of Western thought.
1983 Ann. Rev. Ecol. & Systematics 13 176 Ant-resembling (myrmecoid) spiders..profit from their misleading aspect to surprise prey.
Derivatives
ˈmyrmecoidy n. = myrmecomorphy n.
ΚΠ
1926 Trans. Royal Entomol. Soc. London 74 427 (title) The phenomenon of myrmecoidy, with new examples from Cuba.
1993 Ann. Rev. Entomol. 38 351 Myrmecomorphy, or myrmecoidy.., forms a subset of ant mimicry.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1861