moth miller

9.7

A small moth with powdery wings that look like flour dust

noun
/mɔθ ˈmɪlər/

Specialized

: polilla molinera

She brushed away a moth miller that had landed on her sleeve.

Examples

During the summer, moth millers often gather near porch lights at night.
The old barn was filled with moth millers fluttering around the light.
The moth miller fluttered around the kitchen light.
I found a moth miller in the pantry last night.
During the summer, moth millers often gather near porch lights at night.
She brushed away a moth miller that had landed on her sleeve.
The old barn was filled with moth millers fluttering around the light.

Synonyms

miller

vsmoth miller

1 9.9

A small moth with wings that look dusted with flour

is the two-word name used instead of the shorter common name

Surface Forms

moth miller singular

moth millers plural

Morphology

moth + miller

The noun–noun compound is directly compositional: 'moth' (an insect) combined with 'miller' (a moth characterized by powdery, flour-like wings) yields a type of moth. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings can infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Moth miller may come from the image of a small moth whose wings look covered in pale dust, like the flour dust of a miller, a person who worked with flour. So the name now means 'a moth with powdery, flour-like wings'.