meloid

[mel-oid]

noun

a beetle of the family Meloidae, comprising the blister beetles.

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the family Meloidae.

Origin of meloid

1875–80; < New Latin Meloidae name of the family, equivalent to Melo(ē) type genus + -idae -id²

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

Examples from the Web for meloid

Historical Examples of meloid

I really had before my eyes the pseudochrysalis of some Meloid.
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles
Jean Henri Fabre
I was therefore firmly convinced that the parasite of the Mantis-hunters could only be a Meloid.
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles
Jean Henri Fabre
And behold, the law of the Meloid has to be struck off the statutes, a fate common to many others, as this chapter will prove.
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles
Jean Henri Fabre
This is indeed a Meloid, a true Meloid, one of the strangest anomalies among the parasites of its tribe.
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles
Jean Henri Fabre
The Meloid seems to be revolving in a circle: it undoes what it has just done, it draws back after advancing.
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles
Jean Henri Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for meloid

meloid

noun

any long-legged beetle of the family Meloidae, which includes the blister beetles and oil beetles

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Meloidae

Word Origin for meloid

C19: from New Latin Meloē name of genus

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