crypsis n. the camouflage or protective appearance of an insect or animal. Editorial Note: Crypsis includes the stripes of a zebra that permit individuals to blend with a herd, moths that take on bark-like coloring so they are indistinguishable on trees, non-venomous snakes evolved to look like venomous species, insects that look like twigs or leaves, and brightly colored frogs that falsely indicate to predators that they are poisonous. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Is there something inherent in English that makes it the linguistic equivalent of the Borg, dominating and consuming other languages in its path? No, not at all. The answer lies with politics and conquest rather than language itself. Plus: a new...
If you’re in a book club, how do you decide what books to read? There are lots of different ways, depending on your group’s goals. And is it ever wise to correct someone who mispronounces a word? Sometimes you have to decide if...