clothes moth

American

noun

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

clothes moth British

noun

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

"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 clothes moth

First recorded in 1745–55

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.

See Examples For:

clothes moth

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

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

From Time Magazine Archive

Describe the cocoons of tussock moth, clothes moth, leaf roller.What is the difference between a Cecropia cocoon which contains a living pupa and one that has been parasitized?

From A Guide for the Study of Animals by Lucas, Frederic

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