cockroach
[ kok-rohch ]
/ ˈkɒkˌroʊtʃ /
noun
any of numerous orthopterous insects of the family Blattidae, characterized by a flattened body, rapid movements, and nocturnal habits and including several common household pests.
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Nearby words
cockney, cockney bream, cockneyfy, cockneyism, cockpit, cockroach, cockscomb, cocksfoot, cockshot, cockshut, cockshy
Origin of cockroach
Also called roach.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for cockroach
British Dictionary definitions for cockroach
cockroach
/ (ˈkɒkˌrəʊtʃ) /
noun
any insect of the suborder Blattodea (or Blattaria), such as Blatta orientalis (oriental cockroach or black beetle): order Dictyoptera ., They have an oval flattened body with long antennae and biting mouthparts and are common household pestsSee also German cockroach, mantis
Word Origin for cockroach
C17: from Spanish cucaracha, of obscure origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for cockroach
cockroach
1620s, folk etymology (as if from cock + roach) of Spanish cucaracha "chafer, beetle," from cuca "kind of caterpillar." Folk etymology also holds that the first element is from caca "excrement."
A certaine India Bug, called by the Spaniards a Cacarootch, the which creeping into Chests they eat and defile with their ill-sented dung [Capt. John Smith, "Virginia," 1624].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper