rove beetle
noun
any of numerous beetles of the family Staphylinidae, having a slender, elongated body and very short front wings, and capable of running swiftly.
Origin of rove beetle
1First recorded in 1765–75
- Also called staphylinid.
Words Nearby rove beetle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use rove beetle in a sentence
Of this description is the maxilla in the common dung-beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius), and rove-beetle (Staphylinus olens).
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4) | William Kirby
British Dictionary definitions for rove beetle
rove beetle
noun
any beetle of the family Staphylinidae, characterized by very short elytra and an elongated body: typically they are of carnivorous or scavenging habits
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
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