beetle
n. countablen. a small insect with a hard shell covering its body.
n. a small insect characterised by hardened forewings that form a protective case over the membranous hindwings.
A black beetle crawled across the garden path.
The gardener found a large beetle hiding under the damp leaves near the compost bin.
The iridescent beetle, with its metallic green shell, sat motionless on the white flower petal, contrasting sharply with the soft petals.
From Middle English bitle, bityl, bytylle, from Old English bitula, bitela, bītel (“beetle”), from Proto-West Germanic bitilō, bītil, from Proto-Germanic bitilô, bītilaz (“that which tends to bite, biter, beetle”), equivalent to bite + -le. Cognate with Old High German bicco (“beetle”), Danish bille (“beetle”), Icelandic bitil, bitul (“a bite, bit”), Faroese bitil (“small piece, bittock”).
From Middle English bitel-brouwed (“beetle-browed”). Possibly after beetle, from the fact that some beetles have bushy antennae.
From Middle English betel, from Old English bȳtel, bīetel (“hammer”), from Proto-West Germanic *bautil (“hammer, mallet”), equivalent to beat + -le. Cognate with Low German Bötel (“mallet”).
Borrowed from Portuguese bétele, from Malayalam വെറ്റില (veṟṟila) or Tamil வெற்றிலை (veṟṟilai).