'ant' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'ǣmete' (or 'æmete'), meaning 'ant'.

'ant' changed from Proto-Germanic roots (reconstructed as *amaitijǭ) into Old English 'ǣmete', which later developed into the Middle English form and then the modern English 'ant'. It is cognate with German 'Ameise' and Dutch 'mier'.

Initially and historically it referred to the same small social insect, and this core meaning has remained stable into modern English.