Pyralid - Definitions from Dictionary.com

4 results for: Pyralid

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

pyr·a·lid

Audio Help [pir-uh-lid] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	any of numerous slender-bodied moths of the family Pyralidae, having elongated triangular forewings, and in the larval phase including many crop pests.

–adjective

2.	belonging or pertaining to the family Pyralidae.

[Origin: 1580–90; < NL Pyralidae, equiv. to Pyral(is) type genus (< L pyralis < Gk pyralís an insect thought to live in fire; akin to pŷr fire) + -idae -id²

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Pyralid

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

py·ral·id Audio Help   (pī-rāl'ĭd, pĭr'ə-lĭd) Pronunciation Key
n.   Any of numerous small or medium-sized moths of the diverse, widely distributed family Pyralidae.

adj.   Of or belonging to the family Pyralidae.

[From New Latin Pyralidae, family name, from Pyralis, type genus, from Greek puralis, puralid-, an insect said to live in fire, from pūr, fire; see pyre.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

pyralid
noun
usually tropical slender-bodied long-legged moth whose larvae are crop pests

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Pyralid

Pyr"a*lid\, n. [L. pyralis, -idis, a kind of winged insect.] (Zo["o]l.) Any moth of the family Pyralid[ae]. The species are numerous and mostly small, but some of them are very injurious, as the bee moth, meal moth, hop moth, and clover moth.

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