antshipn.
/ˈantʃɪp/, U.S. /ˈæntˌʃɪp/ Now rare.
With possessive adjective: a mock title of respect for an ant.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Hymenoptera > [noun] > suborder Apocrita, Petiolata, or Heterophaga > group Aculeata (stinging) > ant > title for ant
antship1766
1766 J. Cunningham Ant & Caterpillar in Gentlemen's Mag. 36 590/2 ‘Begone, you vile reptile,’ his antship reply'd.
1846 C. T. Harding Fables for Young Folks 27 My aim, then, I will freely own It is your antship to dethrone.
1890 Virginia Univ. Mag. May 645 The little ant rose early, too, his labor to begin; the greedy sparrow that way flew and took his antship in.
1921 R. B. Thurber In Land of Pagodas vi. 92 The white ants would soon consume these for lunch if it were not that the frequent trains keep them trembling, and his antship does not relish shaky food.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1766