witchetty grub

[ wich-uh-tee ]

noun

1. the large white larva of any of several species of moth and beetle of Australia, especially of the moth genus Cossus, occurring in decaying wood and traditionally used as food by Aborigines.

witchetty grub

/ ˈwɪtʃɪtɪ /

noun

1. the wood-boring edible larva of certain Australian moths and beetles

Word History and Origins

Origin of witchetty grub¹

First recorded in 1890–95; from Adnyamadhanha (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken around Lake Torrens, South Australia) wityati “witchetty grub,” perhaps equivalent to verb base witya “climb” + varti “grub, insect”

Word History and Origins

Origin of witchetty grub¹

C19: witchetty, from a native Australian language

Example Sentences

Feickert’s interest in Oz was understandable: He had worked in kitchens Down Under, and he clearly put in the hours to make sure the Arlington restaurant wasn’t some Crocodile Dundee cartoon, complete with peel-and-eat witchetty grub roots.

From Washington Post

But imagine the rewards of biting into a witchetty grub from the Australian bush, which Aborigines traditionally dug from the roots of acacia trees, and which the Japanese chef Shoichi Uchiyama compares to fatty tuna, at once meaty and melty.

From New York Times

Long ago, according to a famous Aboriginal legend, a maku - the white moth larva also known as the witchetty grub - made its way across the remote South Australian outback, carving what's now known as the Everard Ranges in its wake.

From BBC

They exist in vast numbers, and there is one for every nameable entity: a Honey Ant Dreaming, for instance, or a Witchetty Grub Dreaming, a Flannelflower Dreaming or a Bushfire Dreaming.

From Time Magazine Archive

The local example is found close to Alice Springs, where there are deposited a large number of churinga carried by the witchetty grub men and women.

From Project Gutenberg