[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

insecta \insec"ta\, n. pl. nl. see insect.
   1. zool. one of the classes of arthropoda, including those
      that have one pair of antennae, three pairs of mouth
      organs, and breathe air by means of tracheae, opening by
      spiracles along the sides of the body. in this sense it
      includes the hexapoda, or six-legged insects and the
      myriapoda, with numerous legs. see insect, n.
      1913 webster

   2. zool. in a more restricted sense, the hexapoda alone.
      see hexapoda.
      1913 webster

   3. zool. in the most general sense, the hexapoda,
      myriapoda, and arachnoidea, combined.
      1913 webster

   note: the typical insecta, or hexapod insects, are divided
         into several orders, viz.: hymenoptera, as the bees
         and ants; diptera, as the common flies, gnats, and
         mosquitos; aphaniptera, or fleas; lepidoptera, or
         moths and butterflies; neuroptera, as the ant-lions
         and hellgamite; coleoptera, or beetles; hemiptera,
         as bugs, lice, aphids; orthoptera, as grasshoppers
         and cockroaches; pseudoneuroptera, as the dragon
         flies and termites; euplexoptera, or earwigs;
         thysanura, as the springtails, podura, and lepisma.
         see these words in the vocabulary.
         1913 webster
see also:
insect hexapoda hymenoptera diptera aphaniptera lepidoptera 
neuroptera coleoptera hemiptera orthoptera pseudoneuroptera 
euplexoptera thysanura 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

insecta
     n : insects; about five-sixths of all known animal species syn:
          class insecta, hexapoda, class hexapoda
see also:
class insecta hexapoda class hexapoda 

Insecta >> I Words
Insecta, definition of term: Insecta
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