Formosan termite

noun

For·​mo·​san termite fȯr-ˈmō-sᵊn- 

fər-,

-zᵊn-

: a large termite (Coptotermes formosanus of the family Rhinotermitidae) native to Taiwan and southern China that forms very large, usually underground colonies and has been introduced into Hawaii and the southern U.S. where it is a destructive pest of wooden structures

called also Formosan subterranean termite

Word History

Etymology

Formosa (Taiwan)

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above