cockchafer
/ˈkɒkˌt͡ʃeɪfɚ/ noun
Forms cockchafers
- noun Any of the large European beetles from the genus Melolontha that are destructive to vegetation.
- noun Any of various other similar beetles, such as of the genera Acrossidius, Cyphochilus, Rhopaea, etc.
Synonyms
Etymology
From cock (“male bird”) + chafer (“beetle”). The Oxford English Dictionary speculates that the name may relate to a resemblance of antennae to coxcomb, or to the beetle’s size. Compare French hanneton (“cockchafer”), ultimately from Frankish *hanō (“rooster”). First attested in the late 17th century.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A beetle of the genus Melolontha (esp. M. vulgaris) and allied genera; --called also May bug, chafer, or dorbeetle.
Etymology [See Chafer the beetle.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cockchafer”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details