beetle

beetle
\ \ English has three separate words beetle.
\ \ The commonest, beetle the insect, comes from Old English bitula, which was a derivative of the verb bītanbite’: beetle hence means etymologically ‘the biter’. Beetlehammer’, now largely restricted to various technical contexts, is also Old English: the earliest English form, bētel, goes back to a prehistoric Germanic *bautilaz, a derivative of the verb *bautan, from which English gets beat (the cognate Old Norse beytill meant ‘penis’). The adjective beetle [14], as in ‘beetle brows’, and its related verb are of unknown origin, although it has been speculated that there is some connection with the tufted antennae of certain species of beetle, which may suggest eyebrows.
\ \ Cf.BITE; BEAT

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • beetle — beetle1 [bēt′ l] n. [ME bitil < OE bitela < bītan, BITE] 1. any of a large order (Coleoptera) of insects, including weevils, with biting mouthparts and hard front wings (elytra) that cover the membranous hind wings when the hind wings are… …   English World dictionary

  • Beetle — Bee tle, n. [OE. bityl, bittle, AS. b[imac]tel, fr. b[imac]tan to bite. See {Bite}, v. t.] Any insect of the order Coleoptera, having four wings, the outer pair being stiff cases for covering the others when they are folded up. See {Coleoptera}.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Beetle — Bee tle (b[=e] t l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Beetled} ( t ld); p. pr. & vb. n. {Beetling}.] 1. To beat with a heavy mallet. [1913 Webster] 2. To finish by subjecting to a hammering process in a beetle or beetling machine; as, to beetle cotton goods …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Beetle — steht für VW New Beetle, Automodell von Oktober 1997 bis Juli 2010 VW Beetle, Nachfolgermodell voraussichtlich ab Herbst 2011 erhältlich Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort bezeichneter Begriffe …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Beetle — Bee tle, v. i. [See {Beetlebrowed}.] To extend over and beyond the base or support; to overhang; to jut. [1913 Webster] To the dreadful summit of the cliff That beetles o er his base into the sea. Shak. [1913 Webster] Each beetling rampart, and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Beetle — Bee tle (b[=e] t l), n. [OE. betel, AS. b[=i]tl, b?tl, mallet, hammer, fr. be[ a]tan to beat. See {Beat}, v. t.] 1. A heavy mallet, used to drive wedges, beat pavements, etc. [1913 Webster] 2. A machine in which fabrics are subjected to a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Beetle — also Bug informal AmE a small car made by Volkswagen which has a high, rounded top. It was first produced in the 1930s …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • beetle — vb overhang, jut, project, *bulge, protuberate, protrude, stick out Analogous words: menace, *threaten …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • beetle — ► NOUN ▪ an insect with the forewings modified into hard wing cases that cover the hindwings and abdomen. ► VERB informal ▪ hurry along with short, quick steps. ORIGIN Old English, «biter» …   English terms dictionary

  • Beetle — Beetles redirects here. For the band, see The Beatles. For the car, see Volkswagen Beetle. This article is about the insect. For other uses, see Beetle (disambiguation). Beetle Temporal range: 318–0 Ma …   Wikipedia

  • beetle — beetle1 /beet l/, n., v., beetled, beetling. n. 1. any of numerous insects of the order Coleoptera, characterized by hard, horny forewings that cover and protect the membranous flight wings. 2. (loosely) any of various insects resembling the… …   Universalium

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