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noctuid

 - 2 dictionary results

noc⋅tu⋅id

  [nok-choo-id]
Use noctuid in a Sentence
–noun
1. Also called owlet moth. any of numerous dull-colored moths of the family Noctuidae, the larvae of which include the armyworms and cutworms.
–adjective
2. belonging or pertaining to the family Noctuidae.
Origin:
1875–80; < NL Noctuidae, equiv. to Noctu(a) a genus of European moths (L noctua the little owl, prob. n. use of fem. of *noctuus, equiv. to noct-, s. of nox night + -uus adj. suffix) + -idae -id 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To noctuid
noc·tu·id   (nŏk'chōō-ĭd)   
n.  Any of numerous, usually dull-colored night-flying moths of the family Noctuidae, having a well-developed proboscis for sucking nectar and larvae such as the cutworms and armyworms that are destructive to young trees and other crops. Also called owlet moth.
adj.  Of, relating to, or belonging to the family Noctuidae.

[From New Latin Noctuidae, family name, from Noctua, type genus, from Latin noctua, night owl; see nekw-t- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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