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horntail

American

[hawrn-tayl] / ˈhɔrnˌteɪl /

noun

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

horntail British

/ ˈhɔːnˌteɪl /

noun

Also called: wood wasp. 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

"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

Etymology

Origin of horntail

First recorded in 1880–85; horn + tail ¹

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023