weevil

[ wee-vuhl ]

noun

1. Also called snout beetle. any of numerous beetles of the family Curculionidae, which have the head prolonged into a snout and which are destructive to nuts, grain, fruit, etc.
2. any of numerous related beetles.

weevil

/ ˈwiːvɪl /

noun

1. Also calledsnout beetle any beetle of the family Curculionidae, having an elongated snout (rostrum): they are pests, feeding on plants and plant products See also boll weevil
2. Also calledpea weevilbean weevil any of various beetles of the family Bruchidae (or Lariidae ), the larvae of which live in the seeds of leguminous plants
3. any of various similar or related beetles

Derived Forms

• ˈweevily, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of weevil¹

before 900; Middle English wevel, Old English wifel; cognate with Old High German wibil beetle; akin to wave

Word History and Origins

Origin of weevil¹

Old English wifel; related to Old High German wibil; compare Old Norse tordӯfill dungbeetle

Example Sentences

People in Gosport, Hampshire, first reported sightings of the animal two weeks ago, near Weevil Lane.

From BBC

They noted some browning in the slender green shoots of the seedlings, and spotted a beetle-like insect — a weevil — that appeared to be responsible for the damage.

From Seattle Times

Trained in conservation biology and archival preparations, he combines art and entomology with his appreciative anatomical displays, as well as his butterfly-wing jewelry and dioramas, like the tiny motorcycle-riding “Weevil Knievel.”

From Washington Post

However, chlordecone was legally marketed in France from 1981 until the government banned it in 1990, and its use continued for three more years after that in Guadeloupe and Martinique to kill the banana weevil under an exemption granted by the French government.

From Seattle Times

They have to make sure there is nowhere for the boll weevil to live until cotton is planted again in late March.

From Washington Post