Phrase guide

scale insect

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of the small parasitic insects of the superfamily Coccoidea that live on plants and sap nutrients from them.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

small homopterous insect that usually lives and feeds on plants and secretes a protective waxy covering

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: coccid insect

Narrower terms: soft scale, wax insect, armored scale, cochineal insect, cochineal, Dactylopius coccus

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: puklice — small parasitic insect of superfamily Coccoidea
  • Danish: skjoldlus — small parasitic insect of superfamily Coccoidea
  • Dutch: schildluis — small parasitic insect of superfamily Coccoidea
  • German: Schildlaus — small parasitic insect of superfamily Coccoidea
  • Greek: κοχενίλη (kocheníli) — small parasitic insect of superfamily Coccoidea
  • Hungarian: pajzstetvek — small parasitic insect of superfamily Coccoidea
  • Māori: kutupapa — small parasitic insect of superfamily Coccoidea
  • Navajo: yaaʼ bitsʼaʼígíí — small parasitic insect of superfamily Coccoidea
  • Polish: czerwiec — small parasitic insect of superfamily Coccoidea
  • Russian: кокци́да (kokcída) — small parasitic insect of superfamily Coccoidea