Instar
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Any one of the several stages of postembryonic development which an arthropod undergoes, between molts, before it reaches sexual maturity.
- 2 an insect or other arthropod between molts wordnet
- 3 An arthropod at a specified one of these stages of development.
"In A. orientalis, first and second instars were more susceptible than third instars to H. bacteriophora TF strain, […]"
- 4 A stage in development. broadly
"We avoided Tourist Homes, country cousins of Funeral ones, old-fashioned, genteel and showerless, with elaborate dressing tables in depressingly white-and-pink little bedrooms, and photographs of the landlady’s children in all their instars."
- 1 To stud or adorn with stars or other brilliants; to star. archaic, transitive
"Yet mark with shining steps the humbler way; And, as angelic feet instar the sky, Drop the bright sparks along the wilderness."
- 2 To make a star of; set as a star. transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"In A. orientalis, first and second instars were more susceptible than third instars to H. bacteriophora TF strain, […]"
Etymology
From Latin instar (“form, likeness”), which is of obscure origin.
From in- + star.
More for "instar"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.