beetle

¹bee·tle

noun \ˈbē-t^əl\

Definition of BEETLE

1

: any of an order (Coleoptera) of insects having four wings of which the outer pair are modified into stiff elytra that protect the inner pair when at rest

2

: any of various insects resembling a beetle

Origin of BEETLE

Middle English betylle, from Old English bitula; akin to bītan to bite

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Insect Terms

drone, entomology, gadfly, pismire, proboscis, vespine

Rhymes with BEETLE

betel, chaetal, fetal

²beetle

intransitive verb

bee·tled bee·tling \ˈbē-t^əl-iŋ\

Definition of BEETLE

: to scurry like a beetle <editors beetled around the office>

First Known Use of BEETLE

circa 1919

³beetle

noun

Definition of BEETLE

1

: a heavy wooden hammering or ramming instrument

2

: a wooden pestle or bat for domestic tasks

Origin of BEETLE

Middle English betel, from Old English bīetel; akin to Old English bēatan to beat

First Known Use: before 12th century

⁴beetle

adjective

Definition of BEETLE

: being prominent and overhanging <beetle brows>

Origin of BEETLE

Middle English bitel-browed having overhanging brows, probably from betylle, bitel beetle

First Known Use: 14th century

⁵beetle

intransitive verb

bee·tled bee·tling \ˈbē-t^əl-iŋ\

Definition of BEETLE

: project, jut <to scale the beetling crags — R. L. Stevenson>

First Known Use of BEETLE

1602

beetle

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of at least 250,000 species of insects constituting the order Coleoptera (the largest order in the animal kingdom), characterized by special forewings, called elytra, which are modified into hardened covers over a second pair of functional wings. Beetles occur in almost all environments except Antarctica and the peaks of the highest mountains. Temperate zones have fewer beetle species than the tropics but in greater numbers. The smallest species are less than 0.04 in. (1 mm) long; the largest can exceed 8 in. (20 cm). Most beetles eat either other animals or plants; some eat decaying matter. Some species destroy crops, timber, and textiles and spread parasitic worms and diseases. Others are valuable predators of insect pests. Some beetles are known by other common names (e.g., borer, chafer, curculio, firefly, weevil). Beetles are preyed on by other insects and by bats, swifts, and frogs.