The word "insect" comes from the
Latin word
insectum, meaning "with a notched or divided body", or literally "cut into", from the neuter singular past participle of
insectare, "to cut into, to cut up", from
in- "into" and
secare "to cut";
[9] because insects appear "cut into" three sections.
Pliny the Elder introduced the Latin designation as a loan-translation of the
Greek word
ἔντομος (
éntomos) or "insect" (as in
entomology), which was
Aristotle's term for this class of life, also in reference to their "notched" bodies. "Insect" first appears documented in English in 1601 in
Holland's translation of Pliny. Translations of Aristotle's term also form the usual word for "insect" in
Welsh (
trychfil, from
trychu "to cut" and
mil, "animal"),
Serbo-Croatian (
zareznik, from
rezati, "to cut"),
Russian (
насекомое nasekomoje, from
seč'/-sekat', "to cut"), etc.
[9]
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Insect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaation9.2 Pollination9.3 Parasitism9.4 Other biological interactions
10 Relationship to humans
10.1 As pests10.2 In beneficial roles10.3 In research10.4 As food10.5 In culture
11 See also12 Notes13 References14 External links
Etymology[edit]
<span>The word "insect" comes from the Latin word insectum, meaning "with a notched or divided body", or literally "cut into", from the neuter singular past participle of insectare, "to cut into, to cut up", from in- "into" and secare "to cut";[9] because insects appear "cut into" three sections. Pliny the Elder introduced the Latin designation as a loan-translation of the Greek word ἔντομος (éntomos) or "insect" (as in entomology), which was Aristotle's term for this class of life, also in reference to their "notched" bodies. "Insect" first appears documented in English in 1601 in Holland's translation of Pliny. Translations of Aristotle's term also form the usual word for "insect" in Welsh (trychfil, from trychu "to cut" and mil, "animal"), Serbo-Croatian (zareznik, from rezati, "to cut"), Russian (насекомое nasekomoje, from seč'/-sekat', "to cut"), etc.[9]
Phylogeny and evolution[edit]
Evolution has produced astonishing variety in insects. Pictured are some of the possible shapes of antennae.
Main article: Evolution of insects
The ev Summary
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