Polyphemus moth

[ pol-uh-fee-muhs mawth, moth ]

noun

1. a yellowish-brown North American giant silkworm moth, Antheraea polyphemus, having a prominent purplish eyespot on each hindwing and feeding on a wide variety of trees and other vegetation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Polyphemus moth¹

First recorded in 1840–45; named after the mythological character Polyphemus ( def )

Example Sentences

As night came, a Polyphemus Moth fluttered past.

From Project Gutenberg

A squad of reckless youngsters who had jointly mounted the back of a huge Polyphemus moth, could not resist the temptation to let fly a few arrows at the crowd of excited Pixies beneath them.

From Project Gutenberg

If you can catch sight of him before the light fades too much you will see the white bar which crosses each wing beneath and looks exactly like a hole, as if the bird had transparencies in his pinions as has the polyphemus moth.

From Project Gutenberg

Perhaps the most interesting of these caterpillars are the big native silk-worms, like those of the cecropia moth, the luna moth, the polyphemus moth, or the promethia moth.

From Project Gutenberg

The polyphemus moth, for example, has been experimented with a great deal.

From Project Gutenberg