/
ˈtəːmʌɪt/
n.
a small, pale soft-bodied social insect, typically making large nests of earth and feeding on wood.
[Order Isoptera: many species.]
Etymology
C18: from late L. termes, termit- ‘woodworm’, alt. of L. tarmes, perh. by assoc. with terere ‘to rub’.
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