instar
UK /ˈɪnstɑː/ · US /ˈɪnstɑɹ/ noun, verb
Forms instars instarring instarred
- noun Any one of the several stages of postembryonic development which an arthropod undergoes, between molts, before it reaches sexual maturity.
- noun An arthropod at a specified one of these stages of development.
- noun (by extension) A stage in development.
- verb (transitive, archaic) To stud or adorn with stars or other brilliants; to star.
- verb (transitive) To make a star of; set as a star.
Etymology
From Latin instar (“form, likeness”), which is of obscure origin.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “instar”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details