SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

dermestid

noun der·mes·tid \ (ˌ)dər-ˈmes-təd \

Definition of dermestid

: any of a family (Dermestidae) of beetles with clubbed antennae that are very destructive to organic material of animal origin (such as dried meat, wool, or museum specimens)

—

dermestid

adjective

Recent Examples of dermestid from the Web

Then the cleaning crew dries the skulls for a few days before putting them in a colony of dermestid beetles, which will eat off the rest of the fleshy bits.

— National Geographic, "Human Skulls Are Being Sold Online, But Is It Legal?," 23 Aug. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dermestid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dermestid

ultimately from Greek dermēstēs, a leather-eating worm, literally, skin eater, from derm- + edmenai to eat — more at eat

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1888

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up dermestid? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

mollycoddle

play

to treat with excessive attention

BROWSE DICTIONARY

-dermatous

Dermestes

dermestid

Dermestidae

-dermia

Test Your Vocabulary

April 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is the best synonym of traduce?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-5ae23d5d250bd

'Rather Than': Is It a Conjunction or Preposition?

It's both, and here's why.

alt-5ae227cf365c4

‘Magnate’ and ‘Magnet’: Poles Apart

This is kind of a Big Deal

All the Hits

8 obscure words for bodily harm

alt-5adf93a49b0b2

The Fossil Encased in "Case In Point"

"In point" only lives in this phrase.

Ask the Editors

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

video-literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

rain-on-rainbow-umbrella

April 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

The rhyming verb edition.

Take the quiz

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Test your knowledge of strange human behaviors.

Take the quiz

Name That Thing

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game