emperor moth

noun

1. any of several large saturniid moths, especially Saturnia pavonia of temperate forests in Europe and Asia, characterized by heavily scaled wings with large, transparent eyespots.

Word History and Origins

Origin of emperor moth¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

In less than an hour the room was full of male emperor moths—more than a hundred arrived, although none had been previously visible in the neighbourhood.

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