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ambrosia beetle

noun

bark beetle.

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Nearby words

  1. ambroid,
  2. ambrose,
  3. ambrose channel,
  4. ambrose, saint,
  5. ambrosia,
  6. ambrosial,
  7. ambrosian,
  8. ambrosian chant,
  9. ambrotype,
  10. ambry

Origin of ambrosia beetle

1895–1900; ambrosia in reference to the beetles' food, a coating formed by a fungus which they cultivate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for ambrosia beetle

ambrosia beetle

noun

any of various small beetles of the genera Anisandrus, Xyleborus, etc, that bore tunnels into solid wood, feeding on fungi growing in the tunnels: family Scolytidae (bark beetles)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012