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cockchafer

[ kok-chey-fer ]
/ ˈkɒkˌtʃeɪ fər /

noun

any of certain scarab beetles, especially the European species, Melolontha melolontha, which is very destructive to forest trees.

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Origin of cockchafer

1685–95; cock1 (with reference to its size) + chafer

Words nearby cockchafer

cockatoo, cockatrice, Cockayne, Cockayne's syndrome, cockboat, cockchafer, Cockcroft, cockcrow, cocked, cocked hat, cocker
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for cockchafer

British Dictionary definitions for cockchafer

cockchafer
/ (ˈkɒkˌtʃeɪfə) /

noun

any of various Old World scarabaeid beetles, esp Melolontha melolontha of Europe, whose larvae feed on crops and grassesAlso called: May beetle, May bug

Word Origin for cockchafer

C18: from cock 1 + chafer
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