ghost moth

American  

noun

1. swift.

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ghost moth British  

noun

1. any of various large pale moths of the family Hepialidae that are active at dusk

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Etymology

Origin of ghost moth

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

It’s an apt, if scientifically inaccurate, name for a macabre instance of symbiosis that begins when the underground larvae of the ghost moth are infected by ophiocordyceps spores.

From National Geographic • Jan. 4, 2024

It’s a ghost moth larvae that has been mummified by the fungus, and is an aphrodisiac as well as the most expensive mushroom in the world.

From New York Times • Dec. 18, 2018

While tigers tend to give birth to three or four cubs at a time, a ghost moth in Australia was once recorded laying 29,100 eggs, and she still had 15,000 in her ovaries.

From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2018

Here are the silkworm moth and its cocoon as kept in Siberia; the ghost moth of our hop grounds; the hawk moth, the death's head moth, and the large Brazilian owl moth.

From How to See the British Museum in Four Visits by Jerrold, W. Blanchard