black carpet beetle
- noun
- /blæk ˈkɑːrpɪt ˈbiːtəl/
:
escarabajo de la alfombra negro
- We found a black carpet beetle in the closet, which explained the holes in our wool sweaters.
Examples
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The infestation of black carpet beetles required professional pest control treatment.
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A single black carpet beetle larva can cause significant damage to household fabrics if left unchecked.
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I found a black carpet beetle in my closet.
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The black carpet beetle can cause significant damage to fabrics.
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The black carpet beetle larvae often chew through the fibers of carpets, leading to costly repairs.
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Homeowners should regularly inspect for black carpet beetles to prevent damage to their clothing and upholstery.
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During spring cleaning, we discovered several black carpet beetles hiding among the stored blankets.
Synonyms
1
4.8
A small insect whose young eat wool, fur and other animal materials
A small insect whose young eat wool carpets and clothes
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward compositional noun phrase: 'black' (color) modifies 'carpet beetle' (a type of beetle associated with carpets), so the overall meaning — a beetle that is black and found in carpets — is directly derivable from the parts. This adjective + noun + noun pattern is a common, cross-linguistic construction and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Black carpet beetle is a literal name: the insect is black, its young often live in carpet and clothes, and the beetle's larvae eat fabric. So the name refers to a small household 'pest' that can damage clothing and carpets.