Definition

Noun 1. A small beetle that damages plants and stored grains: A weevil is a type of beetle, typically small, characterized by a distinctive elongated snout. Many species are significant agricultural pests, feeding on and destroying living plants, seeds, nuts, and stored products like grain and flour.

Examples

• The farmer was concerned about the weevil infestation in his cotton crop.
• Storing rice in airtight containers helps prevent weevil damage.
• The museum's entomology collection includes several species of weevil.

Advanced Usage

• "Weevil" as a collective term: The word is often used to refer to beetles within the superfamily Curculionoidea, which contains tens of thousands of species.
  • The study focused on the evolutionary biology of the weevil.
• In a broader, sometimes informal context, "weevil" can describe any small beetle found in foodstuffs.
  • I found a weevil in the bag of oatmeal.

Variants and Related Words

• Boll weevil (n): A specific type of weevil () that is a notorious pest of cotton plants, damaging the cotton bolls.
• Grain weevil (n): A common name for weevils (e.g., ) that infest stored cereal grains.
• Weevily (adj, archaic): Infested with weevils.
  • The flour was old and weevily.

Synonyms

• Beetle: The general insect order (Coleoptera) to which weevils belong.
• Pest: Describes its harmful role in agriculture and storage.
• Snout beetle: A direct descriptive synonym referencing its most distinguishing physical feature.

Related Idioms or Phrases

• "Full of weevils": An idiom describing something, especially food, that is spoiled or infested. It implies poor quality or neglect.
  • That old sack of flour is probably full of weevils by now.

Noun

1. any of several families of mostly small beetles that feed on plants and plant products; especially snout beetles and seed beetles