clothes moth

American  

noun

1. any of several small moths of the family Tineidae, the larvae of which feed on wool, fur, etc., especially Tinea pellionella casemaking clothes moth.

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clothes moth British  

noun

1. any of various tineid moths, esp Tineola bisselliella, the larvae of which feed on wool or fur

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Etymology

Origin of clothes moth

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

The conservation charity, which owns the hall, said that despite careful housekeeping, the common clothes moth had been hard to control.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2021

Last year, English Heritage, custodian of many a tapestry and tabard, claimed numbers of the common clothes moth caught in its properties had doubled in five years.

From BBC • May 20, 2018

But the environment is better for the heat-loving common clothes moth, which Dr Sterling says probably originates in Africa.

From BBC • May 20, 2018

The common clothes moth, which goes under the full-dress name of Tineola bisselliella Hummel, is an oyster-colored insect with a wingspread of about � in.

From Time Magazine Archive

After a while a baby clothes moth, a whitish worm, hatches out.

From Little Busybodies The Life of Crickets, Ants, Bees, Beetles, and Other Busybodies by Marks, Jeannette Augustus