noun
weevil
WEE-vul/ˈwiːvl/
A small beetle with a snout, often damaging crops or stored grain.
The grain weevil stands on wheat kernels bearing emergence holes.
Etymology
Old English wifel named a small beetle generally. The meaning narrowed to long-snouted beetles that bore into plants, connecting the older broad name with today's crop and grain pests.
In context
peonies they have damage on their leaves it looks like they were cut with serrated scissors oh yeah the there's a weevil that does that on the peonies
More examples
- The farmer checks the cotton plants for weevils.
- We found weevils in an old bag of flour.
- Under a magnifying glass, the weevil's long snout is easy to see.
Forms
weevil · weevils
Similar words
- beetle
- A broader term that includes many insects without a snout.