Meanings
terminalia1
- pluralplural onlybiologyThe hindmost segments of the abdomen of an insect, modified for reproduction.
Part of the documentation includes the first detailed illustrations and descriptions of structures of the male terminalia.
2005, “Revision of New World Species of Shore Fly Genus Discomyza Meigen (Diptera: Ephydridae)”, in Annals of the Entomological Society of America^(http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/0013-8746(2005)098%5B0431:RONWSO%5D2.0.CO;2), volume 98, number 4, page 4311 more example
The terminalia consist of the terminal complex of modified genital and anal segments, plus any adjacent segments that show modifications for copulation and oviposition.
1981, Manual of Nearctic Diptera, volume 1, →ISBN, page 37Synonyms: postabdomen, hypopygium
Terminalia2
- historicalIn Ancient Rome, a festival to Terminus, the god of boundaries.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe hindmost segments of the abdomen of an insect, modified for reproduction.
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
terminalia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terminalia
“terminalia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terminalia. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “terminalia,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terminalia.
Source: terminalia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.