n. Any of numerous parasitic wasps of the family Braconidae, the majority of which have larvae that are parasitoids of other insects. [From New Latin Bracōnidae, family name, from Bracōn, type genus, perhaps from Medieval Latin bracō, bracōn-, sleuthhound, beagle (the genus perhaps being named on the model of New Latin Ichneumōn, icheneumon fly genus, from Greek ikhneumōn, Egyptian mongoose, ichneumon fly, literally “tracker”; see ICHNEUMON), of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German braccho and Middle Dutch bracke, sleuthhound, both ultimately from Germanic *brakka-, of unknown origin.] |
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