moth-er
/ˈmɔðɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.43 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A person (especially an entomologist) or animal that catches moths.
Example Sentences
- "Modern moth-ers use black lights, mercury vapor lamps, and portable generators to saturate the night sky[.]"
- "Many species of bats are skilled ‘moth-ers’: they pursue them at speed after detecting them[.]"
- "Real moth-ers, mothies or lepidopterists, will use a mercury vapour bulb and even a special trap[.]"
- "“Everyone can be a moth-er!” - Liti Haramaty, National Moth Week co-founder."
- "Heiner Zeigler, one of the most prodigious avocation mothers I have seen on iNat, has put an enormous amount of effort into his web site documenting the Lepidoptera of Costa Rica."
- "National Moth Week celebrates the beauty, life cycles, and habitats of moths. “Moth-ers” of all ages and abilities are encouraged to learn about, observe, and document moths in their backyards, parks, and neighborhoods."
Etymology
Coined from moth + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (occupational suffix) by analogy to mouser, with the hyphen kept to avoid confusion with mother (“female parent”).
Word Breakdown
- Suffix: er
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmɔðɚ/
- British English: /ˈmɒðə/