noun
large cylindrical or flattened mostly tropical insects with long strong legs that feed on plants; walking sticks and leaf insects
• Syn: ↑phasmid insect
• Hypernyms: ↑insect
• Hyponyms: ↑walking stick, ↑walkingstick, ↑stick insect, ↑walking leaf, ↑leaf insect
• Member Holonyms: ↑Phasmida, ↑order Phasmida, ↑Phasmatodea, ↑order Phasmatodea
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/faz"mid/, n.
1. any insect of the order Phasmida, comprising the walking sticks and leaf insects.
adj.
2. of or pertaining to the phasmids.
[1870-75; < NL Phasmida the order name, equiv. to Phasm(a) the type genus ( < Gk phásma apparition, so named from their extremely close resemblance to surrounding plants) + -ida -ID2]
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phasˈmid noun
A member of the Phasˈmidae or Phasmatˈidae, the family to which the genus Phasma belongs, or of the (sub)order Phasmatōˈdea
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Main Entry: ↑Phasma
Useful english dictionary. 2012.