xylophagous

[zahy-lof-uh-guh s]

adjective

feeding on wood, as certain insects or insect larvae.

perforating or destroying timber, as certain mollusks, crustaceans, and fungi.

Origin of xylophagous

From the Greek word xylophágos, dating back to 1835–45. See xylo-, -phagous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for xylophagous

xylophagous

adjective

(of certain insects, crustaceans, etc) feeding on or living within wood

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