Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

deathwatch beetle

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.91 in modern English

Syllables
death-watch bee-tle
IPA
30
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of various beetles of the family Anobiidae, now usually included in family Ptinidae, especially Xestobium rufovillosum, that bore into wood and make a tapping sound.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Compound of death + watch + beetle. The sound the beetles make is said to resemble a ticking watch, and is sometimes believed to herald death. Attested (as death watch) from the late 17th century.

Inflected Forms

deathwatch beetles (plural) death-watch beetle (alternative)

Synonyms

deathwatch xestobium rufovillosum

Questions

What does deathwatch beetle mean?
Any of various beetles of the family Anobiidae, now usually included in family Ptinidae, especially Xestobium rufovillosum, that bore into wood and make a tapping sound.
Where does deathwatch beetle come from?
Compound of death + watch + beetle. The sound the beetles make is said to resemble a ticking watch, and is sometimes believed to herald death. Attested (as death watch) from the late 17th century.

How to pronounce deathwatch beetle

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