Definition of INSECTIVORE

insectivore

Meanings

Plural: insectivores

Noun

  • small insect-eating mainly nocturnal terrestrial or fossorial mammals
  • any organism that feeds mainly on insects
  • Insect-eating animal or plant.
  • mammal of the now abandoned order Insectivora.

Origin / Etymology

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.

Synonyms

insectivoran

Scrabble Score: 16

insectivore is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
insectivore is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
insectivore is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 19

insectivore is a valid Words With Friends word