in·star

1 [in-stahr]
noun
an insect in any one of its periods of postembryonic growth between molts.

Origin:
1890–95; < Neo-Latin, Latin īnstar equivalent, counterpart

Dictionary.com Unabridged

in·star

2 [in-stahr]
verb (used with object), in·starred, in·star·ring.
1.
to set with or as if with stars.
2.
Archaic.
a.
to place as a star.
b.
to make a star of.

Origin:
1585–95; in-1 + star

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To instar
00:10
Instar is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
instar (ˈɪnstɑː) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
the stage in the development of an insect between any two moults
 
[C19: New Latin from Latin: image]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

instar in·star2 (ĭn'stär')
n.
Any of the successive nymphal stages in the metamorphosis of insects or the stages of larval change by successive molts.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
It was in its fifth and last instar, or molting stage, and thus not far from pupating.
Instar number significantly impacted total development time and was also significantly correlated with stadia length.
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