gaster

noun

gas·​ter ˈga-stər 

: 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

Repletes gorge until their gasters, or the back end of their bodies, swell with the sweet stuff. — Liz Langley, National Geographic, 30 Oct. 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

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

Word History

Etymology

Greek gastēr

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gaster

• aster
• blaster
• caster
• castor
• faster
• laster
• master
• paster
• pastor
• plaster
• raster
• vaster