Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To swarm (in the manner of ants).
  • Of, pertaining to, or resembling an ant or ants. Also formicine.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective (Zoöl.) Resembling, or pertaining to, an ant or ants.
  • intransitive verb To creep or crawl like ants; swarm with, or as with, ants.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To move like ants.
  • verb To have a sensation like the movement of ants.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb crawl about like ants

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin formica (ant) + -ate.

Support

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Examples

  • Instead of letting me watch two people formicate, the whole thing looks like one of those propaganda videos of "successful" missions in Iraq that the Pentagon is always showing.

    American Beat: Party On, Paris! 2007

Comments

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  • What does it mean?

    signed, too lazy to Bartleby

    June 21, 2007

  • I thought Ninjawords was having a larff but Webster's agrees:

    To creep or crawl like ants; swarm with, or as with, ants.

    An open space which formicated with peasantry. --Lowell.

    Genius!!

    June 21, 2007

  • So related to formic acid, which is secreted by ants. Sure doesn't *sound* ant-related. :-)

    June 21, 2007

  • I *love* this word! Thank you, arby.

    June 21, 2007

  • How 'bout pismigrate? ;o)

    June 21, 2007

  • re: formic acid. I thought ants were MADE of formic acid, i.e., main constituent of their exoskeletons. Now I'm gonna haf to fine out...

    June 21, 2007

  • You may be right, oroboros--I'm no pismirologist. ;-)

    June 21, 2007

  • Hey, thank Geo - s/he listed it. I'm just the one who provided the cite.

    June 22, 2007