beetle
Use Beetle in a sentence
lbefore 900; late Middle English betylle, bityl, Old English bitela (bitel- biting (bit- bite + -el adj. suffix) + -a noun suffix)
before 900; Middle English betel, Old English bētl, bȳtel hammer (cognate with Middle Low German bētel chisel), equivalent to bē(a)t- beat + -il noun suffix
Related forms
| to flee; abscond: |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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beetle1 (ˈbiːtəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | any insect of the order Coleoptera, having biting mouthparts and forewings modified to form shell-like protective elytraRelated: coleopteran |
| 2. | a game played with dice in which the players draw or assemble a beetle-shaped form |
| —vb | |
| 3. | informal to scuttle or scurry; hurry |
| Related: coleopteran | |
| [Old English bitela; related to bitol teeth, | |
| beetle2 (ˈbiːtəl) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a heavy hand tool, usually made of wood, used for ramming, pounding, or beating |
| 2. | a machine used to finish cloth by stamping it with wooden hammers |
| —vb | |
| 3. | to beat or pound with a beetle |
| 4. | to finish (cloth) by means of a beetle |
| [Old English bīetel, from bēatan to | |
| beetle3 (ˈbiːtəl) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (intr) to overhang; jut |
| —adj | |
| 2. | overhanging; prominent |
| [C14: perhaps related to | |
| 'beetling3 | |
| —adj | |
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beetle
beetle
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beetle definition
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Beetle definition
(Heb. hargol, meaning "leaper"). Mention of it is made only in Lev. 11:22, where it is obvious the word cannot mean properly the beetle. It denotes some winged creeper with at least four feet, "which has legs above its feet, to leap withal." The description plainly points to the locust (q.v.). This has been an article of food from the earliest times in the East to the present day. The word is rendered "cricket" in the Revised Version.
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beetle
any member of the insect order Coleoptera, consisting of the beetles and weevils. It is the largest order of insects, representing about 40 percent of the known insect species. Among the over 350,000 species of Coleoptera are many of the largest and most conspicuous insects, some of which also have brilliant metallic colours, showy patterns, or striking form. Beetles can usually be recognized by their two pairs of wings; the front pair is modified into horny covers (elytra) that hide the rear pair and most of the abdomen and usually meet down the back in a straight line. Coleoptera occur in nearly all climates. They may be divided into four groups: the first three, the Archostemata, the Adephaga, and the Myxophaga, contain relatively few families; the majority of beetles are placed in the fourth group, the Polyphaga.
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