true bug

noun

1. bug.

true bug

1. Any of various insects of the group Heteroptera. True bugs usually have soft flat bodies, well-developed antennae, and stink glands. They include the water bugs, water striders, bedbugs, cinch bugs, lace bugs, and assassin bugs. Some scientists classify the true bugs as a suborder of the order Hemiptera rather than as a separate insect order.

2. See Note at bug

Word History and Origins

Origin of true bug¹

First recorded in 1890–95