emperor moth

noun

1. any of several large saturniid moths, especially Saturnia pavonia of temperate forests in Europe and Asia, characterized by heavily scaled wings with large, transparent eyespots.

Word History and Origins

Origin of emperor moth¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

So the Emperor moth came out on the 2nd of April, and the same day there was a yellow and a white butterfly in the garden.

From Project Gutenberg

Take, for instance, the caterpillar of the emperor moth (Saturnia pavonia minor).

From Project Gutenberg