cockchafer

[ kok-chey-fer ]

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

Origin of cockchafer

1
1685–95; cock1 (with reference to its size) + chafer

Words Nearby cockchafer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cockchafer in a sentence

  • The red cups that grew in the moss held as much dew as she wanted, and the cockchafer had taught her how to get honey.

  • A cockchafer buzzed by, a moth flew in his face, the music stopped, and little Jon drew his head in.

  • Before taking its flight, the cockchafer agitates its wings for some minutes, and inflates its abdomen with air.

    The Insect World | Louis Figuier
  • Certain larv, such as those of the cockchafer, eat away the roots of vegetables, and so destroy the harvests.

    The Insect World | Louis Figuier
  • But the cockchafer steers badly when it flies; it knocks itself at each instant against obstacles it meets with.

    The Insect World | Louis Figuier

British Dictionary definitions for cockchafer

cockchafer

/ (ˈkɒkˌtʃeɪfə) /


noun
  1. any of various Old World scarabaeid beetles, esp Melolontha melolontha of Europe, whose larvae feed on crops and grasses: Also called: May beetle, May bug

Origin of cockchafer

1
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