leaf-cutting ant

[ leef-kuht-ing ]

noun
  1. any of several tropical American ants of the genus Atta that cut and chew bits of leaves and flowers into a mash that they use to cultivate a fungus garden.

Origin of leaf-cutting ant

1
First recorded in 1870–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use leaf-cutting ant in a sentence

  • Perhaps the most interesting form of animal life to be found on the Isthmus is the leaf-cutting ant.

    The Panama Canal | Frederic Jennings Haskin
  • A new myrmecophile from the mushroom gardens of the Texas leaf-cutting ant.