horntail

[ hawrn-teyl ]

noun

any of various wasplike insects of the family Siricidae, the females of which have a hornlike ovipositor.

Origin of horntail

First recorded in 1880–85; horn + tail¹

Words Nearby horntail

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use horntail in a sentence

The larva soon finds its victim, the grub of the Pigeon horntail, and lives on it to its destruction.
Wood and Forest | William Noyes

British Dictionary definitions for horntail

horntail

/ (ˈhɔːnˌteɪl) /

noun

any of various large wasplike insects of the hymenopterous family Siricidae, the females of which have a strong stout ovipositor and lay their eggs in the wood of felled trees: Also called: wood wasp

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

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