bean weevil

8.7

A small beetle whose young live in and eat beans and cause damage

noun
/biːn ˈwiːvəl/

: gorgojo del frijol

To prevent infestations, it's wise to check your pantry for bean weevils before storing dry beans.

Examples

The farmer noticed that the bean weevil was damaging his crop of kidney beans.
The male bean Weevil has a different strategy.
After discovering bean weevils in the supply, the store decided to discard all the affected beans.

Synonyms

weevil

vsbean weevil

15 7.0

A small beetle with a long snout that eats plants or stored grain

is a specific type that targets legume seeds during growth and storage rather than plants broadly

Acanthoscelides obtectus

vsbean weevil

Specialized

9.9

A small beetle whose young eat beans on plants and in storage and damage crops

is the broader category of similar beetles rather than one named species

Acanthoscelides

vsbean weevil

Specialized

9.9

A small beetle whose larvae live in and eat bean seeds

is the specific common type found in and on legume seeds rather than the whole genus

seed weevil

vsbean weevil

8.4

A small beetle that lays eggs in seeds of plants like beans and whose young eat the seeds

focuses specifically on larvae living in and eating legume seeds, not only egg laying behaviour

seed beetle

vsbean weevil

7.5

A small insect that eats the seeds of plants like beans or peas

is about those that affect the same seeds but emphasizes beans in growing or storage situations

snout beetle

vsbean weevil

7.6

A small beetle with a long nose that often damages crops like grain and nuts

applies to beetles that attack legume seeds specifically rather than mainly grains or nuts

Surface Forms

bean weevil singular

bean weevils plural

Morphology

bean + weevil

This noun–noun compound directly names a type of weevil associated with beans; a learner who knows 'bean' and 'weevil' can infer it is a beetle that feeds on or infests beans. The composition follows regular, cross-linguistically common noun+noun naming patterns, making the meaning predictable and transparent.

Etymology

Bean weevil names a small beetle that lives in and eats beans, with the young insects growing inside the seeds and ruining them. The parts bean and weevil give the clear picture of 'a beetle of the beans', so the name today means the insect that 'damages' stored beans.