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crotonbug

or Cro·ton bug

[ kroht-n-buhg ]
/ ˈkroʊt nˌbʌg /

noun

German cockroach.

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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

Words nearby crotonbug

crotchet, crotchety, crotchwood, croton, crotonaldehyde, crotonbug, Crotone, crotonic acid, crotonism, croton oil, crotoxin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for crotonbug

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