aculeate

C2+ Topic:Animals

US /əˈkjuːliət/ UK /əˈkjuːliət/ See IPA manual

Freq #1015413

Meanings

1

adj
zoology: having a stinger, especially belonging to the hymenopteran group Aculeata

Female aculeate wasps use a modified ovipositor as a sting for defense or prey capture.
2

noun
an insect of the group Aculeata, which includes ants, bees, and many wasps

Each aculeate in the colony develops from an egg laid by the queen.
3

adj
botany: bearing sharp prickles or points

The aculeate stem was armed with short, rigid prickles.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · zoology: having a stinger,... stingingstinger-bearing

2 noun · an insect of the group... aculeate hymenopteran

3 adj · botany: bearing sharp... prickly barbed spiny

Opposites

nonaculeateunarmed

Word family

Derived forms aculeatelynonaculeate

Related forms Aculeataaculeussting ovipositor

Etymology

From Latin aculeatus, 'provided with a sting or prickle,' from aculeus, 'sting,' a diminutive of acus, 'needle.' Entomologists use Aculeata for hymenopterans whose ancestral egg-laying organ was modified into a stinger.

Topics

Animals

External links

# aculeate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /əˈkjuːliət/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈkjuːliət/
**Frequency rank:** 1015413

## Meanings
1. zoology: having a stinger, especially belonging to the hymenopteran group Aculeata
2. an insect of the group Aculeata, which includes ants, bees, and many wasps
3. botany: bearing sharp prickles or points

## Examples
- Female aculeate wasps use a modified ovipositor as a sting for defense or prey capture.
- Each aculeate in the colony develops from an egg laid by the queen.
- The aculeate stem was armed with short, rigid prickles.

## Synonyms
- stinging
- stinger-bearing
- aculeate hymenopteran
- prickly
- barbed
- spiny

## Antonyms
- nonaculeate
- unarmed

## Derived Forms
- aculeately
- nonaculeate

## Related Forms
- Aculeata
- aculeus
- sting
- ovipositor

## Etymology
From Latin aculeatus, 'provided with a sting or prickle,' from aculeus, 'sting,' a diminutive of acus, 'needle.' Entomologists use Aculeata for hymenopterans whose ancestral egg-laying organ was modified into a stinger.

## Topics
- Animals

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