carpenter ant

2 definitions found

carpenter ant - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Carpenter \Car"pen*ter\, n. [OF. carpentier, F. charpentier, LL.
     carpentarius, fr. L. carpentum wagon, carriage.]
     An artificer who works in timber; a framer and builder of
     houses, ships, etc.
  
     Syn: Carpenter, Joiner.
  
     Usage: The carpenter frames and puts together roofs,
            partitions, floors, and other structural parts of a
            building. The joiner supplies stairs, doors shutters,
            mantelpieces, cupboards, and other parts necessary to
            finishing the building. In America the two trades are
            commonly united.
            [1913 Webster]
  
     Carpenter ant (Zool.), any species of ant which gnaws
        galleries in the wood of trees and constructs its nests
        therein. They usually select dead or somewhat decayed
        wood. The common large American species is Formica  Pennsylvanica
        .
  
     Carpenter bee (Zool.), a large hymenopterous insect of the
        genus Xylocopa; -- so called because it constructs its
        nest by gnawing long galleries in sound timber. The common
        American species is Xylocopa Virginica.
        [1913 Webster]

carpenter ant - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  carpenter ant
      n 1: ant that nests in decaying wood in which it bores tunnels
           for depositing eggs