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Glite Dictionary
🧚 Delicate and youthful 🐛 Insect growth phase
nymphal

nymphal

9.0
Relating to the insect stage between larva and adult
  • adjective
  • /ˈnɪmfəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nymfal
  • Insects are often vulnerable during their nymphal phase when they are neither larvae nor adults.
  • nymphal stage

Examples

  • We focused on the nymphal stage of I. scapularis because it is the only tick stage with a significant role as a vector for B. burgdorferi in North America (15).

    Academic text (2014)

  • To help identify ways of controlling ticks in the natural environment with minimal use of pesticides, this study assesses the clustering of adult and nymphal lone star ticks.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Scientists study the nymphal stage of the butterfly to understand its growth before adulthood.

  • The nymphal development of the dragonfly takes place in water, where they grow until they emerge as adults.

Synonyms

nymphic
vsnymphal
  • Specialized
9.9

Like the young form of some insects without wings or a nature spirit from myth

refers specifically to the immature insect stage between larva and adult

Surface Forms

nymphal positive

Morphology

nymphal = nymph (transparent) = nymph + al

This is a standard adjectival formation meaning 'relating to a nymph', here specialized to the insect stage term.

Etymology

Nymphal is also used in science and comes from the word nymph, meaning a 'young form'. In insects a nymph is the stage before the adult, so nymphal refers to that growing, not-yet-adult stage.