polylectic

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πολύς (polús, “a lot of, much”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús (“many, much”), from the root *pleh₁- (“to fill”)) + λέγειν (légein), from λέγω (légō, “to arrange, choose, gather; to count, reckon”) (from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to gather”)) +‎ -ic.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: po‧ly‧lect‧ic
• Rhymes: -ɛktɪk

Adjective

polylectic (comparative more polylectic, superlative most polylectic)

1. (entomology) Of or relating to an insect (especially a bee) which collects pollen from the flowers of a variety of unrelated plants.
2. (grammar) Of or relating to a term consisting of more than one word.

   A polylectic term is a multi-word term, as opposed to a monolectic term which is a one-word term.

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “biology”): monolectic, oligolectic

Related terms

• polylecty
• polylege

Translations

of or relating to an insect

• German: polylektisch (de)
• Greek: πολυσυλλεκτικός (el) (polysyllektikós)

of or relating to a term

• Finnish: monisanainen
• Greek: πολυλεκτικός (el) (polylektikós)

See also

• (grammar): periphrastic

References

• (entomology): Edward M. Barrows (2001) Animal-behavior Desk Reference: A Dictionary of Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution, 2nd edition, Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, →ISBN.
• “polylectic”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.