deathwatch beetle
Any of various beetles of the family Anobiidae, now usually included in family…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.
Meaning
1 sensesAny 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.
gescheckter Nagekäfer, bunter Pochkäfer, Totenuhr
точильщик пёстрыйtočilʹščik pjóstryj, книжная вошьknižnaja vošʹ
- bores through wood making a ticking sound popularly thought to presage death
Translations
3 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
Compound of death + watch + beetle. The sound the beetles make is said to resemble a tickiCompound 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.
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Forms
plural: deathwatch beetlesSynonyms
2 synonyms- bores through wood making a ticking sound popularly thought to presage death:deathwatchXestobium rufovillosum