Dictionary.com
definitions

crotonbug

or Cro·ton bug

[ kroht-n-buhg ]
/ ˈkroʊt nˌbʌg /

noun

German cockroach.

RELATED CONTENT

Insect Armies! Terrifying Bug Groups ExplainedGrab your butterfly nets, and let's discover some bugged-out group names.
READ MORE
What Is The Difference Between A Bug And An Insect?We tend to use the word bug loosely for any very small creature with legs. However, a true bug is defined as belonging to the order Hemiptera. These creatures characteristically have tough forewings and lack teeth, such as beetles. True bugs have a stylet (a mouth shaped like a straw) that they use to suck juices from plants. Insects belong to the class Insecta and they are characterized by three-part bodies, usually two pairs of wings, and …
READ MORE

Nearby words

  1. croton,
  2. croton bug,
  3. croton oil,
  4. crotona,
  5. crotonaldehyde,
  6. crotone,
  7. crotonic acid,
  8. crotonism,
  9. crotoxin,
  10. crottin

Origin of crotonbug

1855–60, Americanism; allegedly after the Croton Reservoir in Westchester Co., N.Y.; its opening in 1842 was supposedly coincident with a rise in New York City's cockroach population; see bug1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for croton bug

Croton bug

noun

US another name for the German cockroach

Word Origin for Croton bug

C19: named after the Croton river, whose water was piped to New York City in 1842
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