insectlike

English

Alternative forms

• insect-like

Etymology

Etymology tree

English insect

Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der.

Proto-Germanic *līkąder.

Proto-Germanic *-līkaz

Proto-West Germanic *-līk

Old English -līċ

Middle English -like

English -like

English insectlike

From insect + -like.

Adjective

insectlike (comparative more insectlike, superlative most insectlike)

1. Resembling an insect in any of various attributes such as form, behavior, or sound
   • 2009 January 19, Susan Dominus, “Brooklyn’s Buzz-a-Rama is Heaven for Slot-Car Fans”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     The name captured […] the sound of the cars themselves, a high-pitched, insectlike whine — the sound of constant speed.

Anagrams

• incestlike