termitarium

English

WOTD – 4 November 2012

Etymology

From termite +‎ -arium.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌtɜɹ.mɪˈtɛ(ə)ɹ.i.əm/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

Noun

termitarium (plural termitariums or termitaria)

1. A termite colony.
   • 2002, Frank N. Young, Jr., Gene Kritsky, A Survey of Entomology‎^[1], Writers Club Press, →ISBN, page 163:

     When an opening is made in a termitarium, soldiers crowd into the breach, and either stop the invaders or fill the breach with their termite dead.

   • 2010, P. J. Gullan, P.S. Cranston, The Insects: An Outline of Entomology‎^[2], Wiley-Blackwell, →ISBN, page 332:

     The females are winged, but shed all but the stumps of the anterior veins after mating, before entering the termitarium.

   • 2012, Paul Stenner, “Pattern”, in Celia Lury, Nina Wakeford, editors, Inventive Methods: The Happening of the Social‎^[3], Routledge, →ISBN, page 137:

     Likewise, given time, the initially rather random clay-gathering activity of termites results in a colossal termitarium, thanks to simple innate inclinations such as the preference to deposit one's ball of clay on larger balls of clay.

Coordinate terms

• anthill, beehive, vespiary

Translations

termite colony

• Belarusian: тэрмі́тнік m (termítnik)
• Czech: termitiště (cs)
• Finnish: termiittipesä, termiittikeko
• Portuguese: cupinzeiro m
• Ukrainian: термі́тник m (termítnyk)