formicary

formicary [fawr-mi-ker-ee] ExamplesWord Origin noun, plural for·mi·car·ies.

1. an ant nest.

Origin of formicary 1810–20; Medieval Latin formīcārium ant hill, noun use of neuter of *formīcārius of, pertaining to ants. See formic, -arium Examples from the Web for formicary Historical Examples of formicary

Sir John Lubbock chloroformed some Lasius niger belonging to his formicary.

The Dawn of Reason

James Weir

Ants may be readily kept in the schoolroom in an artificial nest or formicary and their life-history and habits closely watched.

Elementary Zoology, Second Edition

Vernon L. Kellogg

Another feature evident in disturbing a formicary is the general harmony in which the individuals of any one colony work together.

In the Open

Stanton Davis Kirkham

At one formicary half a dozen or more young queens were out at the same time.

Animal Intelligence

George J. Romanes

Many also enter the formicary, and begin to carry off the young brood that are left in it.

An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. II (of 4)

William Kirby

British Dictionary definitions for formicary formicary formicarium (ˌfɔːmɪˈkɛərɪəm) noun plural -caries or -caria (-ˈkɛərɪə)

1. less common names for ant hill

Word Origin for formicary C19: from Medieval Latin formīcārium see formic Word Origin and History for formicary n.

“ant nest,” 1816, from Medieval Latin formicarium, from Latin formica “ant” (see Formica (n.2)).