Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
Cockchafer — Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum … Wikipedia
Cockchafer — Cock chaf er, n. [See {Chafer} the beetle.] (Zo[ o]l.) A beetle of the genus {Melolontha} (esp. {Melolontha vulgaris}) and allied genera; called also {May bug}, {chafer}, or {dorbeetle}. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
cockchafer — [käk′chāf΄ər] n. [ COCK1 (? because of size) + CHAFER] any of several large European scarab beetles whose grubs live in the soil and feed on the roots of plants … English World dictionary
cockchafer — Not a term which is habitually used as a vocative, though an interesting example occurs in Lucky Jim, by Kingsley Amis. Jim Dixon is careful to address the head of the history department by his professional title to his face, but Amis tells us … A dictionary of epithets and terms of address
cockchafer — /kok chay feuhr/, n. any of certain scarab beetles, esp. the European species, Melolontha melolontha, which is very destructive to forest trees. [1685 95; COCK1 (with reference to its size) + CHAFER] * * * Large European beetle (Melolontha… … Universalium
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… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
cockchafer — 1. a treadmill The flesh was rubbed raw by the coarse cloth used in prison garments. Punning on the Maybug, or Melolontha vulgaris: He expiated , as it is called, this offence by three months exercise on the cockchafer (treadmill).… … How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms
cockchafer — noun Etymology: 1cock + chafer Date: 1712 a large European beetle (Melolontha melolontha) destructive to vegetation as an adult and to roots as a larva; also any of various related beetles … New Collegiate Dictionary
cockchafer — noun Any of the large European beetles from the genus Melolontha that are destructive to vegetation … Wiktionary
cockchafer — cock|chaf|er [ˈkɔkˌtʃeıfə US ˈka:kˌtʃeıfər] n a European ↑beetle (=a kind of insect) that damages trees and plants … Dictionary of contemporary English
