German cockroach
- noun
- /ˈɡɜrmən ˈkɑkroʊtʃ/
:
cucaracha alemana
- Many people are surprised to learn that the German cockroach can reproduce quickly, leading to infestations.
She's, she's got an allergy to German cockroaches, which is an acquired allergy from, from being around like, like that type of insect, I guess.
- She's, she's got an allergy to German cockroaches, which is an acquired allergy from, from being around like, like that type of insect, I guess.
Examples
-
After the exterminator came, I still spotted a German cockroach hiding behind the fridge.
-
She's, she's got an allergy to German cockroaches, which is an acquired allergy from, from being around like, like that type of insect, I guess.
-
The German cockroach is a common household pest that can often be found in kitchens.
Synonyms
140
1.0
A flat brown or black insect that comes out at night and lives in kitchens and houses
87
1.4
A common brown insect that lives in houses and eats food
1
8.5
A common brown insect that often lives in houses
A small light-brown cockroach that lives in homes and kitchens
A small light brown cockroach that lives in houses
A small light brown cockroach that lives in homes and is a pest
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'German' modifies 'cockroach' to indicate a type or species of cockroach associated with Germany, so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a particular kind of cockroach. This nationality+animal naming pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard adjective+noun composition, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
German cockroach may come from early scientists who first described this small brown roach in Germany, so people called it the German cockroach. That's why German cockroach now means 'a small light-brown house pest that multiplies quickly'.