deathwatch beetle
deathwatch beetle noun: any of various beetles of the family Anobiidae, now usually included in family Ptinidae, especially Xestobium rufovillosum, that bore into wood and make a tapping sound.
Noun
deathwatch beetle (plural deathwatch beetles)
- Any of various beetles of the family Anobiidae, now usually included in family Ptinidae, especially Xestobium rufovillosum, that bore into wood and make a tapping sound.
- And chambermaids christen this worm a death-watch:
Because like a watch it always cries click;
Then woe to those in the house who are sick,1819, John Mason Good, Olinthus Gregory, Newton Bosworth, Pantologia. A New Cabinet Cyclopedia, page 38 - A very deadly enemy to woodwork in churches and other buildings is the creature known as the Death Watch beetle (anobium tessellatum, or rufovillosum).1895, J. Hautenville Cope, “The death watch beetle”, in The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Archæological Journal, page 85
- And chambermaids christen this worm a death-watch:
deathwatch beetle meaning in Telugu
deathwatch beetle in Telugu
- beetle of the family Anobiidae
- కొయ్యతొలుచుపురుగు koyyatolucupurugu
Forms of deathwatch beetle
| plural | deathwatch beetles |
|---|---|
| alternative form | death-watch beetle |
Origin of deathwatch beetle
Compound of death + watch + beetle. The sound the beetles make is said to resemble a ticking watch, and is sometimes believed to herald death. Attested (as death watch) from the late 17th century.
Questions about deathwatch beetle
- What does deathwatch beetle mean?
- Deathwatch beetle means any of various beetles of the family Anobiidae, now usually included in family Ptinidae, especially Xestobium rufovillosum, that bore into wood and make a tapping sound.
- What is deathwatch beetle in Telugu?
- Deathwatch beetle in Telugu is కొయ్యతొలుచుపురుగు (koyyatolucupurugu). See Deathwatch beetle meaning in Telugu.
- What part of speech is deathwatch beetle?
- Deathwatch beetle is a noun.
- What is the plural of deathwatch beetle?
- The plural of deathwatch beetle is deathwatch beetles.
Words near deathwatch beetle in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: deathwatch beetle (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “deathwatch beetle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/deathwatch_beetle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.