phasmid

Any insect of the order Phasmida: a leaf insect or walking stick (stick insect).

Noun

  1. Any insect of the order Phasmida: a leaf insect or walking stick (stick insect).
    • A giant phasmid (or stick insect) from India whose cage was over two metres tall spent long hours standing upon a perpendicular branch and staring into Mother's eyes. - 1993, Rikki Ducornet, The Jade Cabinet, Dalkey...
  2. Either of the two caudal chemoreceptors in some nematodes.
  3. A phagemid.

Origin

From Latin phasma (“apparition, specter, phantom”) + -id (nominal suffix), from Ancient Greek φάσμα (phásma, “apparition, phantom”).

Forms

phasmids