elaterid

American

[ih-lat-er-id] / ɪˈlæt ər ɪd /

noun

any beetle of the family Elateridae, comprising the click beetles.

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the family Elateridae.

elaterid British

/ ɪˈlætərɪd /

noun

any of the beetles constituting the widely distributed family Elateridae (click beetles). The group includes the wireworms and certain fireflies

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the family Elateridae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of elaterid

< New Latin Elateridae, equivalent to Elater the type genus (< Greek; see elater) + -idae -id ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

From there, we can assume that 10 million fireflies, if producing a similar amount of light as the West Indian elaterid beetle, would produce around 6,000 lumens of light.

From The Verge • Jun. 21, 2017

Several of the elaterid larvae, however, gnaw roots and are highly destructive to farm crops.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6 "Cockaigne" to "Columbus, Christopher" by Various

Pyrophorus, pī-rof′ō-rus, n. a substance which takes fire on exposure to air: a genus of elaterid beetles.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023