Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A neuropterous insect of the section Planipennia, family Myrmeleontidæ, and genus Myrmeleon, as, for example, M. formicarius.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) A neuropterous insect, the larva of which makes in the sand a pitfall to capture ants, etc. The common American species is
Myrmeleon obsoletus , the European isMyrmeleon formicarius .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun winged insect resembling a dragonfly; the larvae (doodlebugs) dig conical pits where they wait to catch e.g. ants
- noun the larva of any of several insects
- noun winged insect resembling a dragonfly; the larvae (doodlebugs) dig conical pits where they wait to catch e.g. ants
- noun the larva of any of several insects
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Warned by his talent, he steered clear of diversions such as dragon runs, tangle trees, ant-lion prides, choke nettles, saw grass, and other threats.
Falcon Street 2010
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Then the ant-lion began to kick sand in her eyes, he kicked and scratched until she could not see a thing.
Archive 2009-09-01 David McDuff 2009
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The ant-lion continued to dig himself in out of pure annoyance, and no one knows if he ever found the way up again.
Archive 2009-09-01 David McDuff 2009
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'The shore looks gloomy and deserted, and I don't feel like meeting another ant-lion.
Archive 2009-09-01 David McDuff 2009
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All at once an ant-lion came strolling across the sand.
Archive 2009-09-01 David McDuff 2009
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He managed to catch hold of her ears and pulled and struggled with all his might while he shouted rude names at the ant-lion.
Archive 2009-09-01 David McDuff 2009
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On the left you will see a normal ant well, normal besides its two extra legs, and on the right you will see the massive, horrifying ant-lion.
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The ant-lion is a very small animal, enemy of the ant, which hides itself under the sand and kills ants carrying bits of grain, and then eats the ants.
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Additionally, a creature much like the ant-lion came up in some translating I did for my Old English class.
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So he is mentioned again with the name of ant-lion or tiger because he had already been said to be trampled on in the roar of the lion: for whatever is said out of joy is often repeated.
frindley commented on the word ant-lion
There are two interpretations of what an ant-lion is. In one version, the ant-lion is so called because it is the "lion of ants," a large ant or small animal that hides in the dust and kills ants.
In the other version, it is a beast that is the result of a mating between a lion and an ant. ow It has the face of a lion and and the body of an ant, with each part having its appropriate nature. Because the lion part will only eat meat and the ant part can only digest grain, the ant-lion starves.
October 12, 2008