dung beetle

noun

any of various scarab beetles that feed on or breed in dung.

Nearby words

dune-buggy, dunedin, duneland, dunfermline, dung, dung beetle, dung fly, dungannon, dungaree, dungarees, dungeness

Origin of dung beetle

First recorded in 1625–35

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dung beetle

I know in my neighbourhood one Dung-beetle and one alone who also works among carrion.
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles|Jean Henri Fabre
One or more species of the dung-beetle mites (Gamasid) have also been known to fasten themselves on man.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold
Our modern knights might be very handsomely represented in steel-blue armour, made from the wings of the dung-beetle.
Tour in England, Ireland, and France, in the years 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1829.|Hermann Pckler-Muskau
In the same manner, nothing changes in the art of the Dung-beetle, victualling himself with materials in this mine or that.
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles|Jean Henri Fabre

And then to be fooling round here alone night after night with that dung-beetle, that Tommy—the beast smells, I tell you.
The Song of Songs|Hermann Sudermann

British Dictionary definitions for dung beetle

dung beetle

dung chafer

noun

any of the various beetles of the family Scarabaeidae and related families that feed on or breed in dung

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

dung beetle

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of dung beetle

Examples from the Web for dung beetle

British Dictionary definitions for dung beetle

dung beetle

dung chafer

noun