insectivore

I1N1S1E1C3T1I1V4O1R1E1
UK/ɪnˈsɛktəˌvɔː/US/ɪnˈsɛktəˌvɔɹ/

noun

Insect-eating animal or plant.

“An anteater is an insectivore with a long sticky tongue to catch its prey.”

Similar
insectivoran
OriginFrench insectivore →
RareScrabble 16
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Meanings

nouninsectivore (plural insectivores)

plural insectivores

  1. Insect-eating animal or plant.

    An anteater is an insectivore with a long sticky tongue to catch its prey.

  2. datedbiologymammal of the now abandoned order Insectivora.

    Synonyms: insectivoran

Synonyms & antonyms

nounmammal of the now abandoned order Insectivora.

Similar
insectivoran

Origin

  1. Frenchinsectivore
  2. Englishinsectivore

From French insectivore. In the zoological sense, coined by English philosopher and historian of science William Whewell in 1840 as an adaptation of Cuvier's coinage, French insectivore. The French terms reflect scientific New Latin origins. By surface analysis, insect + -i- + -vore.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan insectívor
  • insectívorinsect-eating animal or plant
Czech hmyzožravec
  • hmyzožravecinsect-eating animal or plant
Danish insektæder
  • insektæderinsect-eating animal or plant
Dutch insectivoor, insecteneter
  • insectivoorinsect-eating animal or plant
  • insecteneterinsect-eating animal or plant
Esperanto insektomanĝulo, insektovorulo
  • insektomanĝuloinsect-eating animal or plant
  • insektovoruloinsect-eating animal or plant
Finnish hyönteissyöjä
  • hyönteissyöjäinsect-eating animal or plant
French insectivore
  • insectivoreinsect-eating animal or plant
German Insektenfresser, insektenfressende Pflanze
  • Insektenfresserinsect-eating animal or plant
  • insektenfressende Pflanzeinsect-eating animal or plant
  • insekten fressende Pflanzeinsect-eating animal or plant
  • Insektivoreinsect-eating animal or plant
Greek εντομοφάγος
  • εντομοφάγος (entomofágos)insect-eating animal or plant
Hindi कीटभक्षी
  • कीटभक्षी (kīṭbhakṣī)insect-eating animal or plant
Irish feithiditeoir
  • feithiditeoirinsect-eating animal or plant
Italian insettivoro
  • insettivoroinsect-eating animal or plant
Japanese 食虫動物
  • 食虫動物 (shokuchū dōbutsu)insect-eating animal or plant
Korean 식충동물
  • 식충동물 (sikchungdongmul)insect-eating animal or plant
Norwegian Bokmål insekteter
  • insekteterinsect-eating animal or plant
Polish owadożerca
  • owadożercainsect-eating animal or plant
Portuguese insectívoro, insetívoro
  • insectívoroinsect-eating animal or plant
  • insetívoroinsect-eating animal or plant
Russian насекомоя́дный
  • насекомоя́дный (nasekomojádnyj)insect-eating animal or plant
Spanish insectívoro
  • insectívoroinsect-eating animal or plant
Swedish insektsätare
  • insektsätareinsect-eating animal or plant
Turkish böcekçil
  • böcekçilinsect-eating animal or plant
Welsh pryfysor, pryfysolyn
  • pryfysorinsect-eating animal or plant
  • pryfysolyninsect-eating animal or plant
Cite this entry
APA

insectivore. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/insectivore

MLA

“insectivore.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/insectivore. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “insectivore,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/insectivore.

Source: insectivore on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.