weevil
Use Weevil in a sentence
vəl noun
1.
Also called snout beetle. any of numerous beetles of the family Curculionidae, which have the head prolonged into a snout and which are destructive to nuts, grain, fruit, etc.
2.
any of numerous related beetles.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English wevel, Old English wifel; cognate with Old High German wibil beetle; akin to wave
before 900; Middle English wevel, Old English wifel; cognate with Old High German wibil beetle; akin to wave
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To weevil
Collins
World English Dictionary
weevil (ˈwiːvɪl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | See also boll weevil Also called: snout beetle any beetle of the family Curculionidae, having an elongated snout (rostrum): they are pests, feeding on plants and plant products |
| 2. | pea weevil, Also called: bean weevil any of various beetles of the family Bruchidae (or Lariidae), the larvae of which live in the seeds of leguminous plants |
| 3. | any of various similar or related beetles |
| [Old English wifel; related to Old High German wibil; compare Old Norse tordӯfill dungbeetle] | |
| 'weevily | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Weevil
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
weevil
O.E. wifel "small beetle," from P.Gmc. *webilaz (cf. O.S. wibil, O.H.G. wibil, Ger. Wiebel "beetle, chafer," O.N. tordyfill "dung beetle"), cognate with Lith. vabalas "beetle," from PIE base *webh- "to weave," also "to move quickly" (see weave). The sense gradually narrowed
to a particular kind of beetle that, in larval or adult stages, bores into plants, often destroying them.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Consider, for example, the beetle known as the sugarcane rootstalk borer weevil.
Alternative approaches for suppression of the pecan weevil are desired.
Nearby Words
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