noun
emmet
EH-miht
noun
1
An ant (used in some regional English dialects, especially in the West Country).
"A line of emmets marched across the garden path."
"The old farmer still called ants "emmets," the way his grandfather had."
2
A slang, mildly dismissive term for a tourist, used mainly in Devon and Cornwall, England.
"The seafront cafes fill up with emmets every summer."
"Locals joke that the emmets arrive with the first warm weekend and never seem to leave."
How to Use Emmet
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a regional word for an ant, or (in Cornwall/Devon slang) a slightly teasing name for a tourist.
When to use it
Informal and regional — you would not use "emmet" in formal writing outside of dialect contexts.
Common pairings
a line of emmets
summer emmets
Word Forms
emmets plural
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Etymology
From Old English aemete, meaning "ant" — the same word that gives us "ant" itself. The tourist sense grew later in southwest England, comparing the swarms of summer visitors to a line of ants.