Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A neuropterous insect of the section Planipennia, family Myrmeleontidæ, and genus Myrmeleon, as, for example, M. formicarius. The name is specifically given to the larva, which has attracted more notice than the perfect insect, on account of the ingenuity displayed by it in preparing a kind of pitfall for the destruction of insects (chiefly ants). It digs a funnel-shaped hole in the driest and finest sand it can find, working inside the hole and throwing up the particles of sand with its head. When the pit is deep enough, and the sides are quite smooth and sloping, the ant-lion buries itself at the bottom with only its formidable mandibles projecting, and waits for its prey. The moment a victim falls in, the larva seizes it with its mandibles and sucks its juices.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) A neuropterous insect, the larva of which makes in the sand a pitfall to capture ants, etc. The common American species is Myrmeleon obsoletus, the European is Myrmeleon formicarius.
WordNet 3.0
- n. winged insect resembling a dragonfly; the larvae (doodlebugs) dig conical pits where they wait to catch e.g. ants
- n. the larva of any of several insects
- n. winged insect resembling a dragonfly; the larvae (doodlebugs) dig conical pits where they wait to catch e.g. ants
- n. the larva of any of several insects
Examples
“Warned by his talent, he steered clear of diversions such as dragon runs, tangle trees, ant-lion prides, choke nettles, saw grass, and other threats.”
“The ant-lion continued to dig himself in out of pure annoyance, and no one knows if he ever found the way up again.”
“He managed to catch hold of her ears and pulled and struggled with all his might while he shouted rude names at the ant-lion.”
“Then the ant-lion began to kick sand in her eyes, he kicked and scratched until she could not see a thing.”
“The shore looks gloomy and deserted, and I don't feel like meeting another ant-lion.”
“All at once an ant-lion came strolling across the sand.”
“So he is mentioned again with the name of ant-lion or tiger because he had already been said to be trampled on in the roar of the lion: for whatever is said out of joy is often repeated.”
“On the left you will see a normal ant well, normal besides its two extra legs, and on the right you will see the massive, horrifying ant-lion.”
“The ant-lion is a very small animal, enemy of the ant, which hides itself under the sand and kills ants carrying bits of grain, and then eats the ants.”
“Additionally, a creature much like the ant-lion came up in some translating I did for my Old English class.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘ant-lion’.
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A Selective Mediæval Bestiary
Beginning with my favourites from this site.
alerion, ant-lion, bear, bonnacon, cinnamologus, hedgehog, weasel, basilisk, asp, oliphant, minotaur, gryphon and 8 more...
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LEGENDARY CREATURES
but only the ones with adorable names
whangdoodle, teakettler, hidebehind, argopelter, splintercat, come-at-a-body, fibbertigibbet, harpy-hag, cactus cat, glawackus, manticore, hodag and 40 more...
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True and untrue bugs
Insects and other arthropods, but not butterflies or spiders--1. (I should make this into several monophyletic lists, sometime...)
tarantula hawk, fluffy bum, masked hunter, cow killer, wandering violin ..., tooth-necked fung..., velvet ant, pleasing fungus b..., powderpost beetle, death watch beetle, velvet worm, ironic fly and 96 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for ant-lion.
frindley There are two interpretations of what an ant-lion is. In one version, the ant-lion is so called because it is the "lion of ants," a large ant or small animal that hides in the dust and kills ants.
In the other version, it is a beast that is the result of a mating between a lion and an ant. ow It has the face of a lion and and the body of an ant, with each part having its appropriate nature. Because the lion part will only eat meat and the ant part can only digest grain, the ant-lion starves. Oct 12, 2008