pismire
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From piss + mire ‘ant’, named from the smell of an anthill.
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈpɪsmaɪə/
[edit] Noun
pismire (plural pismires)
- (regional) An ant.
- Late C14: He is as angry as a pissemyre, / Þogh þat he have al þat he kan desire — Geoffrey Chaucer, The Summoner's Tale
- 1658: Much there is not of wonder in the confused Houses of Pismires, though much in their busie life and actions — Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus (Folio Society 2007, p. 189)
- 1993: We are scurrying emmets or pismires with our sad little comedies. — Anthony Burgess, A Dead Man in Deptford
[edit] Translations
an ant
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