Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

beetle

/ˈbiː.təl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.53 in modern English

Syllables: bee-tle
IPA: /ˈbiː.təl/

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of numerous species of insect in the order Coleoptera characterized by a pair of hard, shell-like front wings which cover and protect a pair of rear wings when at rest.

noun

A game of chance in which players attempt to complete a drawing of a beetle, different dice rolls allowing them to add the various body parts.

Uncountable

noun

Alternative letter-case form of Beetle (“car”).

verb

To move (away) quickly, to scurry away.

adj

Protruding, jutting, overhanging.

verb

To loom over; to extend or jut (above).

noun

A type of mallet with a large wooden head, used to drive wedges, beat pavements, etc.

noun

A machine in which fabrics are subjected to a hammering process while passing over rollers, as in cotton mills; a beetling machine.

Example Sentences

"Guessing competitions were tackled with much enthusiasm, followed by a beetle drive, and judging by the laughter, this was popular with all."
"For quotations using this term, see Citations:beetle."
"He beetled off on his vacation."
"I beetled across to our table, but no Pauline, no Mr Cresswell, no Mr Rudyard."
"“[…] But he seems to have beetled off somewhere as usual. […]”"
"In the falling darkness Harry saw small collections of lights as they passed over more villages, then a winding road on which a single car was beetling its way home through the hills. …"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *bitilô, *bītilaz Proto-West Germanic *bitilō, *bītil Old English bitula, bitela, bītel Middle English bitle, bitel, bityl, bytylle English beetle From Middle English bitle, bityl, bytylle, from Old English bitula, bitela, bītel (“beetle”), from Proto-West Germanic *bitilō, *bītil, from Proto-Germanic *bitilô, *bītilaz (“that which tends to bite, biter, beetle”), equivalent to bite + -le. Cognate with Old High German bicco (“beetle”), Danish bille (“beetle”), Icelandic bitil, bitul (“a bite, bit”), Faroese bitil (“small piece, bittock”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: bitle, bitula, *bitilō, *bitilô, bitel-brouwed, betel
Suffix: bite

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbiː.təl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

beetles (plural) bittle (alternative, obsolete) betel (alternative, obsolete) bittil (alternative, obsolete) beetles (present, singular) beetling (participle, present) beetled (participle, past) beetled (past) more beetle (comparative) most beetle (superlative)

Derived Forms

Beatles beetlebrain beetlehead beetlelike beetler beetleskin beetleweed beetly dorbeetle ladybeetle overbeetling Beetlemania

Phrases

Alexander beetle ambrosia beetle ant beetle ant nest beetle Asian lady beetle Asiatic beetle asparagus beetle Atlas beetle

Frequently Paired Words

bug chafer firefly ladybird scarab

Synonyms

Bug beetling mallet overhang

Homonyms

Beatle beadle (t-flapping) betel baetyl

Rhymes With

fetal beatle varietal avital cheetal furniture beetle cigarette beetle colorado potato beetle fungus beetle baetyl

Questions

How do you pronounce beetle?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbiː.təl/.
What does beetle mean?: Any of numerous species of insect in the order Coleoptera characterized by a pair of hard, shell-like front wings which cover and protect a pair of rear wings when at rest.
Where does beetle come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce beetle

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “beetle”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbiː.təl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “beetle”.
Repeat and practice — Say “beetle” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.