seed weevil

8.4

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

noun
/siːd ˈwiːvəl/

: gorgojo de las semillas

After inspecting the seeds, they found evidence of seed weevil larvae feeding inside.

Examples

The farmer discovered several seed weevils inside the damaged bean pods.
Seed weevil infestations can significantly reduce crop yields for legume farmers.
The seed weevil is a common pest in agriculture.
Farmers often struggle with seed weevils in their crops.
Seed weevil infestations can significantly reduce crop yields for legume farmers.
Farmers often struggle with seed weevils in their crops.
The farmer discovered several seed weevils inside the damaged bean pods.

Synonyms

weevil

vsseed weevil

15 7.0

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

is focused on laying eggs inside legume kernels rather than broad plant feeding

seed beetle

vsseed weevil

7.5

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

focuses on laying eggs inside kernels where larvae develop and damage them

snout beetle

vsseed weevil

7.6

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

specializes in laying eggs inside legume kernels rather than general crop damage

Surface Forms

seed weevil singular

seed weevils plural

Morphology

seed + weevil

The meaning is directly compositional: 'seed' (plant reproductive unit) modifies 'weevil' (a plant-feeding beetle) to indicate a weevil associated with or feeding on seeds. This modifier+noun pattern is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Seed weevil is a literal name: a small beetle called a weevil that lays eggs inside a seed, and the young larvae eat the seed from the inside. So the name means 'a small beetle that damages seeds'.