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weevil

weevil

15 7.0
A small beetle with a long snout that eats plants or stored grain
  • noun
  • /ˈwiːvəl/
translation icon : gorgojo
  • Before the harvest, they checked the grain for weevils to ensure it was safe to sell.
  • boll weevil
  • weevil larvae
  • weevil larva

The push was that in the beginning the cotton crop failed because of the bull weevils vestation, but more importantly there was white terror.

Examples

  • The ants attack the vulnerable, soft-bodied weevil larvae as they tunnel into the inner stem to feed.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The male bean Weevil has a different strategy.

  • We've got weevils in the corn.

  • For thousands of years, boll weevils fed on wild tropical cotton in Central and South America.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Rees and West have been using the weevil called Rhinocyllus conicus since the early 1970s.

    Academic text (1994)
  • In Aliceville, Alabama, just two releases reduced weevil numbers by 75 percent on 54 acres of commercial cotton.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Last summer, this approach killed about 88 percent of boll weevils on a 16-acre Weslaco research site.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Another cotton chemical, linalool, may disrupt weevils from mating or deter them from aggregating within a cotton field.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The farmers noticed that weevils were damaging their crops, so they had to take action.

  • After discovering weevils in the pantry, they promptly discarded the infested food.

Synonyms

bug
vsweevil
623 1.0

A small insect like an ant or beetle

is much more specific, naming small elongated mouthpart insects that feed on plants
beetle
vsweevil
95 1.0

A small insect with hard front wings that cover its back and a mouth for chewing

is narrower, referring specifically to small elongated mouthpart insects that feed on plants
boll weevil
vsweevil
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small gray beetle that lays eggs in cotton bolls and ruins cotton crops

is broader, meaning small elongated mouthpart insects that feed on many plants
curculio
vsweevil
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small beetle that makes holes in fruit or nuts and damages crops

is wider, covering many small elongated mouthpart insects beyond fruit pests
snout beetle
vsweevil
7.6

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

is broader, covering small elongated mouthpart insects across several families
Curculionidae
vsweevil
  • Specialized
9.9

A large group of beetles with long snouts, like weevils

is the general label for small elongated mouthpart insects across families
Anthonomus
vsweevil
  • Specialized
9.9

A small beetle that eats and damages crops like cotton

is the common name for small elongated mouthpart insects across many groups
Anthonomus grandis
vsweevil
  • Specialized
9.9

A small grey beetle that lays eggs in cotton bolls and damages cotton crops

is the wider name for small elongated mouthpart insects beyond that single species
seed weevil
vsweevil
8.4

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

is more general, applying to small elongated mouthpart insects feeding on many plant parts
pea weevil
vsweevil
  • Specialized
8.1

A small beetle whose young live in and eat pea seeds

is broader, referring to small elongated mouthpart insects feeding on many plants
Bruchus pisorum
vsweevil
  • Specialized
9.9

A small beetle whose young feed inside pea seeds

is the general label for small elongated mouthpart insects not limited to that species
bean weevil
vsweevil
8.7

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

is broader, covering small elongated mouthpart insects beyond just beans
rice weevil
vsweevil
8.1

A small brown beetle that lives in and eats stored rice

is wider, applying to small elongated mouthpart insects feeding on many plant products
flour weevil
vsweevil
7.9

A small beetle that lives in and eats stored flour and grains

is more general, naming small elongated mouthpart insects beyond stored food pests

Compounds

boll weevil
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small gray beetle that lays eggs in cotton bolls and ruins cotton crops

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

black weevil
  • Indian
9.1

A small black beetle that eats stored rice and grain

A small beetle that lives in and eats stored flour and grains

A small brown beetle that lives in and eats stored rice

pea weevil
  • Specialized
8.1

A small beetle whose young live in and eat pea seeds

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

Surface Forms

weevil singular
weevils plural

Etymology

The word weevil comes from an old English word wifel that meant 'small beetle'. Because these tiny beetles often eat and damage stored grain and seeds, the name stuck for the snouted pests we call weevils today.