Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kissing bug

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.77 in modern English

Syllables: kiss-ing bug
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of a number of haematophagous bugs belonging to the subfamily Triatominae that feed on the blood of vertebrates, including humans, and which are known for spreading Chagas' disease.

Etymology

From kissing + bug: they often feed on the lips of human victims.

Inflected Forms

kissing bugs (plural)

Synonyms

conenose bug vampire bug conenose cone-nosed bug big bedbug

Questions

What does kissing bug mean?: Any of a number of haematophagous bugs belonging to the subfamily Triatominae that feed on the blood of vertebrates, including humans, and which are known for spreading Chagas' disease.
Where does kissing bug come from?: From kissing + bug: they often feed on the lips of human victims.

How to pronounce kissing bug

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