terebrant

te·re·brant
T1E1R1E1B3R1A1N1T1
UK/ˈtɛɹəbɹənt/UK/-ɹɪ-/

adjective

Of an insect: that bores holes; specifically, of the suborder Terebrantia of thrips which bore using their ovipositors.

OriginLatin terebrantem ← Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

adjectiveterebrant (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebiologyOf an insect: that bores holes; specifically, of the suborder Terebrantia of thrips which bore using their ovipositors.
    1 more example

    The other terebrant hymenoptera feed in the same state either on larvæ, caterpillars particularly, of which they gnaw the interior, without attacking the essential principle of life at first, or on nymphs or eggs of insects, bodies in which they have been deposited under this last form by the mother.

    1832, Edward Griffith, Edward Pidgeon, “Supplement on the Hymenoptera”, in Baron Cuvier [i.e., Georges Cuvier], translated by [Edward Griffith], The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with Its Organization […], volume 15 (The Class Insecta, volume 2), London: […] [Gilbert & Rivington] for Whittaker, Treacher, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 395
  2. not comparablemedicineOf pain: resembling the sensation of being bored into or pierced.
nounterebrant (plural terebrants)

plural terebrants

  1. biologyAn insect that bores (“makes holes”); a borer; specifically, one belonging to the Terebrantia suborder of thrips which bore using their ovipositors.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*terh₁-“to drill, pierce; to rub; to turn”
  2. Latinterebrantem
  3. Englishterebrant

The adjective is a learned borrowing from Latin terebrantem, the accusative masculine or feminine singular of terebrāns, the present active participle of terebrō (“to bore through, perforate, pierce”), from terebra (“instrument for boring, borer, gimlet”) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs). Terebra is derived from ter(ō) (“to rub; to wear away”) (from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to drill, pierce; to rub; to turn”)) + -bra (suffix denoting an instrument, forming nouns). The noun is either derived from the adjective, or is a back-formation from Terebrantia (“suborder of thrips”).

More words from Latin, Proto-Indo-European

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish poraava, kätkö-
  • poraavaof an insect: that bores; specifically, belonging to the Terebrantia suborder of thrips which bore using their ovipositors
  • kätkö-of an insect: that bores; specifically, belonging to the Terebrantia suborder of thrips which bore using their ovipositors
  • pistinripsiäineninsect belonging to the Terebrantia suborder of thrips which bore using their ovipositors
French térébrant
  • térébrantof an insect: that bores; specifically, belonging to the Terebrantia suborder of thrips which bore using their ovipositors
Italian terebrante
  • terebranteof an insect: that bores; specifically, belonging to the Terebrantia suborder of thrips which bore using their ovipositors
Spanish terebrante
  • terebranteof an insect: that bores; specifically, belonging to the Terebrantia suborder of thrips which bore using their ovipositors
Welsh terebrog
  • terebrogof an insect: that bores; specifically, belonging to the Terebrantia suborder of thrips which bore using their ovipositors
Cite this entry
APA

terebrant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terebrant

MLA

“terebrant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terebrant. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “terebrant,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/terebrant.

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