termitarium

termitarium

English

WOTD – 4 November 2012

Etymology

termite +‎ -arium

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌtɜɹ.mɪˈtɛ(ə)ɹ.i.əm/

Noun

termitarium (plural termitariums or termitaria)

1. A termite colony.
   • 2002, Frank N. Young, Jr. & Gene Kritsky, A Survey of Entomology, Writers Club Press (2002), →ISBN, page 163:

     When an opening is made in a termitarium, soldiers crowd into the breach, and either stop the invaders or fill the breach with their termite dead.

   • 2010, P. J. Gullan & P.S. Cranston, The Insects: An Outline of Entomology, Wiley-Blackwell (2010), →ISBN, page 332:

     The females are winged, but shed all but the stumps of the anterior veins after mating, before entering the termitarium.

   • 2012, Paul Stenner, "Pattern", in Inventive Methods: The Happening of the Social (eds. Celia Lury & Nina Wakeford), Routledge (2012), →ISBN, page 137:

     Likewise, given time, the initially rather random clay-gathering activity of termites results in a colossal termitarium, thanks to simple innate inclinations such as the preference to deposit one's ball of clay on larger balls of clay.

Coordinate terms

• anthill, beehive, vespiary

Translations

termite colony

Belarusian: тэрмі́тнік m (termítnik) Czech: termitiště (cs) Finnish: termiittipesä, termiittikeko

Portuguese: cupinzeiro m Ukrainian: термі́тник m (termítnyk)