Hymenopteran

//ˌhʌɪ.mɛˈnɒp.tə.ɹən// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any insect of the order Hymenoptera: the bees, wasps and ants etc.
  2. 2
    insects having two pairs of membranous wings and an ovipositor specialized for stinging or piercing wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Relating to or denoting hymenopterans. not-comparable

Etymology

From translingual Hymenoptera + -an, from neuter plural of Ancient Greek ὑμενόπτερος (humenópteros, “membrane-winged”), from ὑμήν (humḗn, “thin skin, membrane”) + πτερόν (pterón, “feather, wing”) + -ος (-os, adjectival suffix).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.