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’.Definitions on the go
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termite