: the enlarged part of the abdomen behind the pedicel in hymenopterous insects (such as ants)
Examples of gaster in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the ants' hind parts don't go totally to waste; when given an entire ant to eat, the spiders would eat some of that, too, perhaps because certain nutrients are found chiefly in the gaster.
—
Allison Bond, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2010
Repletes gorge until their gasters, or the back end of their bodies, swell with the sweet stuff.
—Liz Langley, National Geographic, 30 Oct. 2019
Using a type of fluorescent microscopy, researchers from Pennsylvania State University watched fungal colonization in ants from the gaster, the rear end of the abdomen, to the head—and found no trace of fungal cells in the brain.
—Jennifer Lu, National Geographic, 18 Apr. 2019
The winter ants also store their food reserves in their gasters, or rear ends, which gives them a pretty spectacular silhouette.
—Aimee Levitt, Chicago Reader, 6 Sep. 2017
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Allison Bond, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2010
Repletes gorge until their gasters, or the back end of their bodies, swell with the sweet stuff.
—Liz Langley, National Geographic, 30 Oct. 2019
Using a type of fluorescent microscopy, researchers from Pennsylvania State University watched fungal colonization in ants from the gaster, the rear end of the abdomen, to the head—and found no trace of fungal cells in the brain.
—Jennifer Lu, National Geographic, 18 Apr. 2019
The winter ants also store their food reserves in their gasters, or rear ends, which gives them a pretty spectacular silhouette.
—Aimee Levitt, Chicago Reader, 6 Sep. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Gaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaster. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share