pismire

[ pis-mahyuh r, piz- ]
/ ˈpɪsˌmaɪər, ˈpɪz- /

noun

an ant.

Origin of pismire

1350–1400; Middle English pissemyre, equivalent to pisse to urinate + obsolete mire ant, perhaps < Scandinavian (compare Danish myre, Swedish myra), cognate with Dutch mier; pejorative name from stench of formic acid proper to ants

Example sentences from the Web for pismire

British Dictionary definitions for pismire

pismire
/ (ˈpɪsˌmaɪə) /

noun

an archaic or dialect word for an ant

Word Origin for pismire

C14 (literally: urinating ant, from the odour of formic acid characteristic of an ant hill): from piss + obsolete mire ant, of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse maurr, Middle Low German mīre ant