witchetty grub

[ wich-uh-tee ]

/ ˈwɪtʃ ə ti /

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noun

the large white larva of any of several species of moth and beetle of Australia, especially of the moth genus Cossus, occurring in decaying wood and traditionally used as food by Aborigines.

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Origin of witchetty grub

First recorded in 1890–95; from Adnyamadhanha (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken around Lake Torrens, South Australia) wityati “witchetty grub,” perhaps equivalent to verb base witya “climb” + varti “grub, insect”

Words nearby witchetty grub

witches'-besom, witches' brew, witches'-broom, witches' butter, witches' Sabbath, witchetty grub, witch grass, witch hazel, witch hazel family, witch hobble, witch hunt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use witchetty grub in a sentence

Real-estate expert Julian Hitchcock told Grub Street he expects to see more chain restaurants pop up in New York.
High Rents Are Killing the Restaurant Capital|Will Doig|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The man who started the L.A. food truck craze shares his favorite spots to grab some delicious grub on wheels.
Roy Choi’s Favorite L.A. Food Trucks|Roy Choi|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nothing humbles an autocrat quite like the need to grub for votes.
Memo: The Aaron Sorkin Model of Political Discourse Doesn't Actually Work|Megan McArdle|April 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Good grub, lots of monitors, and the waitresses are usually hot.
Eastbound & Down’s Kenny Powers Lists His Favorite Things|Kenny Powers|February 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Summer is just over the surf, so start looking now for those hidden beach shacks where the best grub of the season is found.
Fresh Picks|Sam Talbot|March 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It wasn't long before she surprised the object of her search in the act of eating a fat grub beside a pumpkin.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
What of the infinite goodness of God in teaching the grub of the ichneumon-fly to eat up the cabbage caterpillar alive?
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
For that matter, he said, he didn't care a tinker's dam if we were; he had grub and bedding and we were welcome to both.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
While we were packing grub and bedding on Piegan's extra horse, Lyn joined us, wrapped from head to heel in a yellow slicker.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
She said Noo York took a turrible lot of money–clothes, and grub, and so forth and so on.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates

British Dictionary definitions for witchetty grub

witchetty grub

/ (ˈwɪtʃɪtɪ) /

noun

the wood-boring edible larva of certain Australian moths and beetles

Word Origin for witchetty grub

C19: witchetty, from a native Australian language

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