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

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

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

By far the most damaging insect, and most at home in modern civilization, is the clothes moth.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is closely related to the clothes moth and, like the moth, bores in its larval stage, feeding on the mesophyl of the leaves.

From All About Coffee by Ukers, William H. (William Harrison)