weevil

[wee-vuhl]

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.

weevil

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• weevily adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of weevil¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of weevil¹

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

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

They included a number of vivid green and pinkish-orange darkling beetles from China and Laos, and four long-snouted weevils from South Africa.

From BBC

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

And other insects need also beware, including termites, red palm weevils, whiteflies and other agricultural nuisances.

From Salon

“It’s so important, but so hard to get at because the sands of time have obscured the changes in most of the big lineages,” such as butterflies, moths and weevils, Dr. Whiteman said.

From New York Times