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# springtail

«springtail» in Mova's school dictionary: **A tiny, wingless, six-legged animal that lives in soil…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a springtail, springtails)

### meaning for a pupil

A tiny, wingless, six-legged animal that lives in soil and leaf litter and jumps by flicking a spring-like tail under its body. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/springtail/#m1)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons about soil and minibeasts, springtails are among the most common tiny creatures, breaking down dead leaves and helping make soil. Pupils may find them with a magnifying glass or in a Tullgren funnel. They are harmless to people.

### examples

- We found springtails in the leaf litter under the hedge. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/springtail/#x1)
- A springtail jumps by flicking its tail. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/springtail/#x2)
- Springtails help break down dead leaves. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/springtail/#x3)
- You need a magnifying glass to see a springtail. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/springtail/#x4)
- Thousands of springtails can live in one square metre of soil. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/springtail/#x5)
- Springtails are not insects, though they look like them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/springtail/#x6)

### note

Countable; one word. Scientists today usually class them as six-legged animals related to insects but not true insects.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «springtail» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/springtail/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.