termitaryn.
/ˈtəːmᵻt(ə)ri/, U.S. /ˈtərməˌtɛri/ 1. A termite colony or nest, esp. one of the very large, architecturally complex mounds made by certain tropical termites; (also) an artificial, usually glass-sided container used to house termites for scientific study; = termitarium n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > subclass Pterygota > [noun] > division Exopterygota or Hemimetabola > order Isoptera > member(s) of (termites) > nest
anthill1781
termitary1826
termite hill1835
termite mound1854
termitarium1855
termite heap1867
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. xlix. 478 The formicary, the termitary, the vespiary, and the bee-hive send forth their thousands.
1874 Trans. Royal Entomol. Soc. 22 p. xliii Winged males and females, produced in vast numbers and leaving the termitary in large swarms.
1901 Jrnl. Royal Microsc. Soc. 32 The Cicindelids select the termitaries as sunny places well suited for play and for hunting.
1937 Discovery Sept. 292/2 One must consider a termitary as a single animal.
1963 H. J. Lowe Classroom & Field Stud. Elem. School Sci. (rev. ed.) i. 3 The termitary should be moistened about once a month in the wetter months.
2002 Human Ecol. 30 253 The Pankararé Indians burn the termitary and inhale the smoke for healing stroke.
2. figurative, esp. with reference to human societal structure or city architecture; = termitarium n. 2.
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1935 Times 11 Feb. 14/2 Man as a personality is destined to be a free citizen in a free world, not an ant in some human termitary.
1955 J. B. Priestley in J. B. Priestley & J. J. Hawkes Journey down Rainbow xii. 177 I'd rather stand on the pavement and eat a sandwich than lunch in that underground termitary.
1977 Time 10 Oct. 51/2 But they linger on paper as the dream architecture of the 20th century. Because these termitaries were never built, they could not be destroyed.
2001 Interzone Apr. 62/2 In Ryman's worlds, the what-if? structure gets splintered into termitaries of whys.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1826