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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
adjectiveRead the Latest from M-W
Recent Examples of dermestid from the Web
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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.
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
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