noctule

American

[nok-chool] / ˈnɒk tʃul /

noun

a large reddish insectivorous bat, Nyctalus noctula, common to Europe and Asia.

noctule British

/ ˈnɒktjuːl /

noun

any of several large Old World insectivorous bats of the genus Nyctalus, esp N. noctula: family Vespertilionidae

"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 noctule

1765–75; < French < Italian nottola a bat, owl ≪ Latin noctua night owl. See noctuid, -ule

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Finally, with new miniature biologgers from Aarhus University -- and just as Ibáñez neared retirement -- the team succeeded in recording a greater noctule hunting and eating a bird in flight.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

Nearly 25 years ago, Ibáñez found bird feathers in greater noctule droppings and spent years gathering evidence that these bats were indeed bird predators.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

The greater noctule is extremely rare and endangered in many regions due to the loss of forest habitats.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

He was also the first to describe the harvest mouse and noctule bat.

From The Guardian • May 11, 2018

“Spines!” squeaked the noctule from the safe height of a hundred feet.

From "Wee Tim'rous Beasties" Studies of Animal life and Character by English, Douglas

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