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weevil

[wee-vuh l]
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noun
  1. Also called snout beetle. any of numerous beetles of the family Curculionidae, which have the head prolonged into a snout and which are destructive to nuts, grain, fruit, etc.
  2. any of numerous related beetles.
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Origin of weevil

before 900; Middle English wevel, Old English wifel; cognate with Old High German wibil beetle; akin to wave
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for weevil

Historical Examples

  • But what can he want with Mr. Weevil, and what can Weevil want with him?

    The Hero of Garside School

    J. Harwood Panting

  • But hanged if I don't think Weevil talks it in his sleep; he's so hot on it.

    The Hero of Garside School

    J. Harwood Panting

  • The boys glanced from one to the other as Mr. Weevil paused.

    The Hero of Garside School

    J. Harwood Panting

  • Paul took the letter from the rack as Mr. Weevil turned to his books.

    The Hero of Garside School

    J. Harwood Panting

  • Mr. Weevil was standing beside the visitor on the hearthrug.

    The Hero of Garside School

    J. Harwood Panting

British Dictionary definitions for weevil

weevil

noun
  1. Also called: snout beetle any beetle of the family Curculionidae, having an elongated snout (rostrum): they are pests, feeding on plants and plant productsSee also boll weevil
  2. Also called: pea weevil, bean weevil any of various beetles of the family Bruchidae (or Lariidae), the larvae of which live in the seeds of leguminous plants
  3. any of various similar or related beetles
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Derived Formsweevily, adjective

Word Origin

Old English wifel; related to Old High German wibil; compare Old Norse tordӯfill dungbeetle
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

Word Origin and History for weevil

n.

Old English wifel "small beetle," from Proto-Germanic *webilaz (cf. Old Saxon wibil, Old High German wibil, German Wiebel "beetle, chafer," Old Norse tordyfill "dung beetle"), cognate with Lithuanian vabalas "beetle," from PIE root *webh- "to weave," also "to move quickly" (see weave (v.)). The sense gradually narrowed to a particular kind of beetle that, in larval or adult stages, bores into plants, often destroying them.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper