trophallaxis

noun

troph·​al·​lax·​is ˌtrō-fə-ˈlak-səs 

: exchange of food (as from special glands) between social insects (such as ants or termites)

Examples of trophallaxis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The researchers trained the computer to identify a behavior called trophallaxis, in which honey bees feed their fellow workers by regurgitating food from a pouch called a crop. —Erik Stokstad, Science | AAAS, 28 Apr. 2020

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from troph- + Greek allaxis exchange, from allassein to change, exchange, from allos other — more at else

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above