| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024ant /ænt/USA pronunciation n. [countable]- Insectsa small insect that lives in highly organized colonies.
Idioms- Idiomshave ants in one's pants, Slang. to be impatient or eager to act.
-ant, suffix. - -ant is attached to some verbs to form adjectives with the meaning "doing or performing (the action of the verb)'': please + -ant → pleasant (= doing the pleasing).
- -ant is also attached to some verbs to form nouns with the meaning "one who does or performs (the action of the verb, often a formal action)'': serve + -ant → servant (= one who serves);
apply (+ ic) + -ant → applicant (= one who formally applies, as for a job). - -ant is attached to some verbs to form nouns with the meaning: "substance that does or performs (the action of the verb)'': cool (verb = "to make cool'') + -ant → coolant (= substance to keep engines cool).
See -ent. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024ant (ant),USA pronunciation n. - Insectsany of numerous black, red, brown, or yellow social insects of the family Formicidae, of worldwide distribution esp. in warm climates, having a large head with inner jaws for chewing and outer jaws for carrying and digging, and living in highly organized colonies containing wingless female workers, a winged queen, and, during breeding seasons, winged males, some species being noted for engaging in warfare, slavemaking, or the cultivation of food sources.
- have ants in one's pants, [Slang.]to be impatient or eager to act or speak.
- bef. 1000; Middle English am(e)te, em(e)te, Old English ǣmette; cognate with Middle Low German āmete, ēm(e)te, Middle Dutch amete, Old High German āmeiza (ā- a-3 + meizan to beat, cut, cognate with Albanian mih (he) digs), German Ameise. See emmet, mite1
- British Terms[Chiefly Brit. Dial.]contraction of am not.
- Slang Terms[Dial.]ain't.
- 1700–10; see ain't; aren't
- var. of anti- before a vowel or h: antacid;
anthelmintic.
-ant, - a suffix forming adjectives and nouns from verbs, occurring originally in French and Latin loanwords (pleasant;
constant;
servant) and productive in English on this model;
-ant has the general sense "characterized by or serving in the capacity of '' that named by the stem (ascendant;
pretendant), esp. in the formation of nouns denoting human agents in legal actions or other formal procedures (tenant;
defendant;
applicant;
contestant). In technical and commercial coinages, -ant is a suffix of nouns denoting impersonal physical agents (propellant;
lubricant;
deodorant). In general, -ant can be added only to bases of Latin origin, with a very few exceptions, as coolant. See also -ent.
- Latin -ant- or -ent- (see -ent); akin to Middle English, Old English -and-, -end-, present participle suffix
- French -ant
- Latin -ant-, present participle stem of verbs in -āre; in many words
- Radio and Televisionantenna
- antonym.
Ant., - Place NamesAntarctica.
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