death's-head
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of death's-head
First recorded in 1590–1600
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The death's-head hawkmoth caterpillar is also a rare sight in the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2022
Their flight paths suggest these death’s-head hawk moths have some complex navigation skills, the authors said, challenging earlier ideas that insects are just wanderers.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 11, 2022
Furthermore, he says, the noises made by the three death’s-head species are all different, as are the honeybee species they each target, so “the squeaks may be adapted to the specific requirements of those bees.”
From National Geographic ● Aug. 11, 2015
As the resident teller of ugly truths, David strangely seems the least complex character, and Mr. Schnetzer looks entirely too hale and hearty to be an oracular death’s-head.
From New York Times ● Nov. 6, 2014
The proboscis of the death’s-head hawk moth is used as a kind of reed instrument, blown through to make high-pitched, reedy notes.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
