cockchafer
pronunciation
How to pronounce cockchafer in British English:
UK [ˈkɒktʃeɪfə(r)]
How to pronounce cockchafer in American English:
US [ˈkɑktʃeɪfə(r)]
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- Noun:
- any of various large European beetles destructive to vegetation as both larvae and adult
Word Origin
- cockchafer
- cockchafer: [18] Etymologically, cockchafer (a medium-sized beetle) is probably a ‘large gnawer’. The second part of the word, which goes back to Old English times (ceafor), can be traced to a prehistoric base *kab- ‘gnaw’, source also of English jowl. The first element, cock, may be an allusion to the species’ greater size in relation to other chafers.=> jowl
Example
- 1. A large cockchafer saw beautiful tiny and seized her to a tree .