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noctule

[nok-chool]
See more synonyms for noctule on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a large reddish insectivorous bat, Nyctalus noctula, common to Europe and Asia.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for noctule

Historical Examples

  • 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.

British Dictionary definitions for noctule

noctule

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

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