weevil

American  

[wee-vuhl] / ˈwi vəl /

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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weevil British  

/ ˈwiːvɪl /

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 products See 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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Other Word Forms

• weevily adjective

Etymology

Origin of weevil

before 900; Middle English wevel, Old English wifel; cognate with Old High German wibil beetle; akin to wave

Explanation

A weevil is a type of small beetle with a distinctively long snout. Because some species of weevils are famous for destroying large amounts of crops or stored grains, weevils are usually considered pests. There are thousands of weevil species, nearly all of which feed only on plants. These little insects have caused a lot of trouble over the years. In the early 1900s, cotton fields in the South became infested with nonnative boll weevils, which devour cotton buds and flowers. Over the years, weevils have cost farmers billions of dollars in lost crops — and if you've ever been horrified to find tiny bugs in your rice or flour, they were probably weevils. But many weevil species are beneficial to humans, serving as pollinators and weed control.

Example Sentences

The South American palm weevil came north across the border in 2011 and headed straight for its preferred victim, the glamorous Canary Island palm.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2025

They noted some browning in the slender green shoots of the seedlings, and spotted a beetle-like insect — a weevil — that appeared to be responsible for the damage.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 16, 2023

By the 1970s, one-third of all pesticides applied in the United States were used to fight the boll weevil, according to the USDA.

From Washington Post • Oct. 7, 2022

Competition is especially fierce because male giraffe weevils come in a stunning range of sizes: The largest male weevil is 30 times larger than the smallest.

From New York Times • Aug. 13, 2021

Zach said the farmers had planted and harvested their cotton early this year because of the boll weevil.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd