Where does “insect” come from?

Insect comes from Middle French insecte, from Latin insectum, the past participle of insecāre, meaning to cut into, from in- plus secāre.

insect (English): An arthropod in the class Insecta, characterized...

Definitions

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Middle French	insecte	—
2	Latin	īnsectum	—
3	Latin	insectus	cut up or into, having been cut up or into;...
4	Ancient Greek	ἔντομον	masculine/feminine accusative singular of...
5	Ancient Greek	ἔντομος	cut in pieces, cut up
6	Ancient Greek	ἐν-	in, within; on
7	Ancient Greek	ἐν	in, on, at; among; in, at, or during the time of
8	Ancient Greek	δέρμα	skin, hide
9	Ancient Greek	γλυφή	carving, carved work; hole cut
10	Ancient Greek	-ῐ́ᾱ	{{l\|en\|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine...
11	Proto-Indo-European	-íh₂	—
12	Proto-Indo-European	-h₂	Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...