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Meaning of "deathwatch beetle" in the English dictionary

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PRONUNCIATION OF DEATHWATCH BEETLE

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WHAT DOES DEATHWATCH BEETLE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

deathwatch beetle

Deathwatch beetle

The deathwatch beetle, Xestobium rufovillosum, is a woodboring beetle. The adult beetle is 7 millimetres long, while the xylophagous larvae are up to 11 mm long. To attract mates, these woodborers create a tapping or ticking sound that can be heard in the rafters of old buildings on quiet summer nights. They are therefore associated with quiet, sleepless nights and are named for the vigil kept beside the dying or dead, and by extension the superstitious have seen the death watch as an omen of impending death. The term "death watch" has been applied to a variety of other ticking insects including Anobium striatum, some of the so-called booklice of the family Psocidae, and the appropriately named Atropos divinatoria and Clothilla pulsatoria. The larva is very soft, yet can bore its way through wood, which it is able to digest using a number of enzymes in its alimentary canal provided that the wood has experienced prior fungal decay.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE DEATHWATCH BEETLE

death wish
death-dealing
death-valley curve
death´s-head
death´s-head moth
deathbed
deathbed confession
deathbed scene
deathblow
deathful
deathless
deathlessly
deathlessness
deathlike
deathliness
deathly
deathsman
deathward
deathwatch
deattribute

WORDS THAT END LIKE DEATHWATCH BEETLE

bark beetle
bee beetle
beetle
black beetle
blister beetle
carpet beetle
click beetle
dung beetle
flea beetle
gold beetle
ground beetle
hercules beetle
Japanese beetle
leaf beetle
potato beetle
rhinoceros beetle
rove beetle
stag beetle
tiger beetle
tortoise beetle
water beetle

Synonyms and antonyms of deathwatch beetle in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «deathwatch beetle» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF DEATHWATCH BEETLE

Find out the translation of deathwatch beetle to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of deathwatch beetle from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «deathwatch beetle» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

临终看护甲虫
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

escarabajo reloj de la muerte
570 millions of speakers

English

deathwatch beetle
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

पहरेदार बीटल
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

خنفساء deathwatch
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

Deathwatch жук
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

escaravelho da morte
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

মৃত্যুদন্ড বিটল
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

coléoptère deathwatch
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Kumbang
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Totenwache Käfer
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

シバンムシカブトムシ
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

살짝 수염 벌레 딱정벌레
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Kumbang mati
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

bọ cánh cứng deathwatch
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

இறப்பு வாட்ச் வண்டு
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

मृत्यूचे घड्याळ बीटल
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Ölüm yıldızı böceği
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

scarabeo Deathwatch
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

Deathwatch beetle
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

Deathwatch жук
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

gândac prevestitor de moarte
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

ανοβίου
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

Deathwatch Beetle
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

deathwatch skalbagge
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

Deathwatch bille
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of deathwatch beetle

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «DEATHWATCH BEETLE»

The term «deathwatch beetle» is used very little and occupies the 189.217 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Rarely used
12
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «deathwatch beetle» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of deathwatch beetle
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «deathwatch beetle».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «DEATHWATCH BEETLE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «deathwatch beetle» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «deathwatch beetle» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about deathwatch beetle

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «DEATHWATCH BEETLE»

Discover the use of deathwatch beetle in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to deathwatch beetle and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Insects and Spiders of the World
The life cycle of a deathwatch beetle. The female lays eggs inside dead wood. The larvae hatch out and eat their way into the timber. The larvae pupate close to the surface. New adults bore their way out before dispersing to find mates.
‎2003
2
California Master Gardener Handbook
Figure 8.14 Powderpost beetle and larva. Figure 8.1 5 False powderpost beetle. Figure 8.16 Deathwatch beetle and larva. Wood-Boring Beetles Three families of beetles in California have species of wood borers that damage structural wood, ...
‎2002
3
Practical Building Conservation: Timber
Spiders are an important predator of the deathwatch beetle. Right: The longlegged house spider (Pholcus phalugioides) is an important predator. This is the spider that produces shapeless webs in roofs or the corners of rooms. Pholcus wraps ...
‎2012
4
Urban Insects and Arachnids: A Handbook of Urban Entomology
... 98, 99, 100, 103, 104, 105, 126 death's-head cockroach (Bloberus craniifer) 37 , 40, 41: development 40; distribution 41; mating 41; ootheca 40; pheromone 41 deathwatch beetle (Xestobium rufbvillosum) 70; development 70; distribution 71;  ...
William H. Robinson, 2005
5
Conservation of Historic Buildings
About 5—8% of attacks are by the deathwatch beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum, about 4—5% by wood-boring weevils (Euophryum confine and Pentarthrum huttoni), about 2% by powder post beetle (Lyctus) and about 0.5% by the house ...
Bernard Feilden, 2007
6
Managing Change: Sustainable Approaches to the Conservation ...
Ridout, B. 2000. Timber Decay in Buildings: The Conservation Approach to Treatment. London: E. & F. N. Spon. Ridout, B. 2001a. The population dynamics of the deathwatch beetle, and how their mode of attack influences surface treatments.
Jeanne Marie Teutonico, Frank G. Matero, 2003
7
Field Guide to Beetles of California
The name "deathwatch" beetle is attributed to the behavior of the European Furniture Beetle (Anobium punctatum). During the mating season the male strikes the top of its head to the adjacent pronotal margin to produce a series of audible ...
Arthur V. Evans, James N. Hogue, 2006
8
Building Surveys
The deathwatch beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) is often present in old hardwood beams and other hardwood timbers in period structures. On occasion, fungal attack may be required for this insect to become active so that damp conditions and ...
Peter Glover, 2013
9
The Beetle Book
loud squeaking sound by rubbing its wings against its abdomen. It may be alerting other peg bugs to danger. firefly peg beetle deathwatch beetle Disturb a peg beetle and it makes a loud enough for us to hear. Tap tap. Tap tap.
‎2012
10
God Particles: Poems
The Deathwatch Beetle is her sentinel. His antennae twitch as he does what he was named for, probably by a New Englander, like her, of English and Czech stock, like her, who makes a stoic seem like a movie star at a spa recovering from a ...
Thomas Lux, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «DEATHWATCH BEETLE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term deathwatch beetle is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Call of the wild: How science is learning to decode the way animals …
The deathwatch beetle goes “tick, tick, tick” in the dead of night as it bangs its head against an old oak beam. A lone wolf howls eerily from the ... «The Independent, Jul 15»
2
The Bugman: Choking on the Splinters
Two common species are the deathwatch beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) and the furniture beetle (Anobium punctatum). The furniture beetle ... «Weekly Alibi, Jul 15»
3
Restoring Hay Castle: 'Ivy is holding the roof together'
£5m plan to rescue Hay Castle from deathwatch beetle. “The most vulnerable part of the building is the derelict part of the mansion, which ... «Telegraph.co.uk, May 15»
4
The amazing story behind attic that inspired Jane Eyre
Sir James discovered carcasses of the deathwatch beetle. To many, these haunting words mean two things: sell up or give up. But the Grahams ... «Telegraph.co.uk, May 15»
5
Medieval marvel at risk from rot and deathwatch beetle
A rare medieval church roof in Suffolk is at risk of being destroyed by deathwatch beetle and wet rot. The ceiling's said to be one of the finest ... «ITV News, May 15»
6
Author tours: Taya Kyle will sign 'American Wife' Saturday in …
David E. Huntley will sign Deathwatch Beetle: A Historical Post WWII Historical Spy Thriller from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Frontiers of Flight ... «Dallas Morning News, May 15»
7
A Buzz in the Meadow by Dave Goulson review – the joy of insects
... such as the deathwatch beetle, which ejaculates staggering amounts of sperm, the human equivalent of 14 litres; the evolution of butterflies ... «The Guardian, Apr 15»
8
Cambridge's Janet Dixon on the inspiration behind interiors …
It had deathwatch beetle and every timber between the foundations and the roof rafters had to be ripped out; it was literally a shell." Buying the ... «Cambridge News, Apr 15»
9
£5m plan to rescue Hay Castle from deathwatch beetle
An infestation of deathwatch beetle and rambling ivy mean parts of the castle are in danger of falling down and only managing to hang on "by ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Apr 15»
10
Behind the scenes at the Walmgate Bar restoration
Restoration was carried out in 1990, when there was severe damage by deathwatch beetle, but Mr Oxley said some parts of the timber frame ... «The Press, York, Apr 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Deathwatch beetle [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/deathwatch-beetle>. Apr 2024 ».
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