termite
noun /ˈtɜːmaɪt/
  /ˈtɜːrmaɪt/
 - an insect that lives in organized groups, mainly in hot countries. Termites do a lot of damage by eating the wood of trees and buildings.- a termite colony
 Oxford Collocations DictionaryTermite is used before these nouns:- mound
 Word Originlate 18th cent.: from late Latin termes, termit- ‘woodworm’, alteration of Latin tarmes, perhaps by association with terere ‘to rub’.