aphid

aphid
aphid (n.) 1884, anglicized from Mod.L. aphides, plural of aphis, coined by Linnaeus (1758), though where he got it and why he applied it to the plant louse are mysteries. The theory favored by OED as "least improbable" is that it derives from the plural of Gk. apheides "unsparing, lavishly bestowed," in reference either to the "prodigious rate of production" of the insects or their voracity. They also are known as ant-cows.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • aphid — aphid; aphid·i·dae; aphid·iv·o·rous; aphid·ol·o·gist; aphid·oph·a·gous; aphid·oph·i·lous; …   English syllables

  • Aphid — A phid, n. (Zo[ o]l.) One of the genus Aphis; an aphidian. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • aphid — ► NOUN ▪ a greenfly or similar small insect feeding on the sap of plants. ORIGIN Greek aphis …   English terms dictionary

  • aphid — [ā′fid, af′id] n. [< ModL aphis (pl. aphides); first applied by LINNAEUS Carolus prob. < MGr, misreading of Gr koris, a bug] any of a large family (Aphididae) of small, soft bodied homopteran insects that suck the juice from plants; plant… …   English World dictionary

  • Aphid — This article is about the insect. For other uses, see Aphid (disambiguation). Aphids Temporal range: Permian–Present …   Wikipedia

  • aphid — aphidian /euh fid ee euhn/, adj., n. aphidious, adj. /ay fid, af id/, n. any of numerous tiny soft bodied insects of the family Aphididae of worldwide distribution, that suck the sap from the stems and leaves of various plants, some developing… …   Universalium

  • aphid — UK [ˈeɪfɪd] / US noun [countable] Word forms aphid : singular aphid plural aphids a very small insect that lives on plants and destroys them …   English dictionary

  • Aphid (disambiguation) — Aphid can refer to *Aphid, a type of insect *Aphid is the NATO reporting name for the Soviet/Russian Molniya R 60 air to air missile.* Aphid is an acronym for Apache/Perl HTTP Installation Daemon *Lake Storm Aphid is the National Weather Service… …   Wikipedia

  • Aphid Moon — is Jules Hamer, a psychedelic trance artist.With couple of Aphid Moon releases before the millennium he has continuedwith a successive string of releases on virtually all the British psy trancelabels as well a few notable foreign labels. His… …   Wikipedia

  • aphid — noun Date: 1861 any of numerous very small soft bodied homopterous insects (superfamily Aphidoidea) that suck the juices of plants …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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