noctule

[ nok-chool ]

/ ˈnɒk tʃul /

noun

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

Nearby words

noctiluca, noctilucent, noctis, noctograph, noctuid, noctule, nocturia, nocturn, nocturnal, nocturnal arc, nocturnal emission

Origin of noctule

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

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

Examples from the Web for noctule

I could climb your chestnut if I cared to, noctule, and eat the colony.
"Wee Tim'rous Beasties"|Douglas English
The Serotine and the Noctule are our two largest Bats, and in the early records they were very much confused.
Animal Life of the British Isles|Edward Step

British Dictionary definitions for noctule

noctule

/ (ˈnɒktjuːl) /

noun

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

Word Origin for noctule

C18: probably from Late Latin noctula small owl, from Latin noctua night owl

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