carrion beetle

American

noun

any of the beetles of the family Silphidae that feed on and deposit their eggs in carrion.

carrion beetle British

noun

any beetle of the family Silphidae that track carrion by a keen sense of smell See also burying beetle

"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

Etymology

Origin of carrion beetle

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I wondered if Harry blamed our grandfather in some part for showing Miss Goodacre his carrion beetle exhibit.

From Literature

“She seemed well enough. She did display some interest in the gossamer-winged butterflies. I wish she had shown more interest in the carrion beetle collection, though. They are, after all, exceptionally fine specimens.”

From Literature

How people fight the pest.Aphids.Relations of ants and aphids.Phylloxera and its work.The methods of fighting the chinch bug.Scale bugs.Cochineal bug and the lacs.Coleoptera.The carrion beetle and its peculiar habits.Fireflies.Egyptian scarabs.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023