meloid

[ mel-oid ]

/ ˈmɛl ɔɪd /

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noun

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

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the family Meloidae.

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Origin of meloid

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

Words nearby meloid

melodize, melodrama, melodramatic, melodramatize, melody, meloid, melon, melon-bulb, melon dome, melon foot, melongene

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

How to use meloid in a sentence

Carabidoid: applied to the second stage of a meloid larva, when it resembles that of a Carabid.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology|John. B. Smith
Scarabidoid: applied to that stage of a meloid larva in which it resembles a white grub or Scarabid larva.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology|John. B. Smith
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

No one, as far as I am aware, had as yet suspected the true parasitism of a carnivorous Meloid.
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles|Jean Henri Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for meloid

meloid

/ (ˈmɛlɔɪd) /

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