longicorn beetle
- noun
- /ˈlɔŋɪˌkɔrn ˈbiːtəl/
- Specialized
- The longicorn beetle is known for its strikingly long antennae and slender body.
Examples
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The chrysanthemum longicorn beetle is a pest of chrysanthemums, as the name suggests, and a single female can kill as many as seventy plants by laying her eggs in the stems.
Academic text (2011) -
Researchers studied the behavior of the longicorn beetle to understand its mating rituals and habitat preferences.
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Many gardeners find the longicorn beetle to be a nuisance due to its tendency to infest wooden plants.
Synonyms
A small insect with hard front wings that cover its back and a mouth for chewing
A beetle with very long antennae often longer than its body
A beetle with a long body and very long antennae often longer than its body
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'longicorn' (long‑horned, i.e. having long antennae) combined with 'beetle' yields a beetle with long antennae. This is a straightforward descriptive compound common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings would understand the MWE.
Etymology
Longicorn beetle comes from old words that mean 'long' and 'horn', so the name points to the beetle's very long antennae that look like horns. That's why the name is used for beetles with very long antennae today.