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Glite Dictionary
velvet ant

velvet ant

9.9
A solitary wasp with soft bright hair and wingless females
  • noun
  • /ˈvɛlvɪt ænt/
translation icon : hormiga terciopelo
  • The velvet ant is famous for its painful sting, earning it the nickname 'cow killer.'

Examples

  • We spotted a brightly colored velvet ant crawling across the path during our hike.

  • While hiking in the desert, we spotted a bright orange velvet ant crawling on the sand.

  • Despite its name, the velvet ant is actually a type of wasp rather than a true ant.

  • I saw a velvet ant in the garden.

  • The velvet ant is known for its bright colors.

  • My brother was fascinated by the velvet ant we found in the garden, with its fuzzy, colorful body.

  • The velvet ant is known for its ability to deliver a painful sting, despite being a wingless insect.

Synonyms

Mutillidae
vsvelvet ant
  • Specialized
9.9

A family of wasps called velvet ants whose females are wingless and look like ants

is a solitary wasp member of that family often with velvety hair

Surface Forms

velvet ant singular
velvet ants plural

Morphology

velvet + ant

The compound 'velvet ant' is transparently built from 'velvet' (velvety appearance) + 'ant' (an insect), so a B1 learner who knows both words will infer an ant-like insect with velvety hair. Although the taxonomic truth (it is actually a wingless female wasp) is a specialist detail, the surface descriptive meaning is directly derivable and follows common noun compounding patterns.

Etymology

Velvet ant comes from the insect's look: the female has bright, soft hair like velvet and no wings so she crawls like a small ant. So, although it is actually a 'wasp', the name helps you picture its fuzzy, ant-like body.