dermestid Hear it!

dermestid definition

der·mes·tid (dər mes′tid)

noun

any of a family (Dermestidae) of small, drab-colored beetles whose larvae and adults are destructive to hides, furs, woolens, cereals, etc.

Etymology: < ModL Dermestidae < Gr dermēstēs, a leather-eating worm < derma, skin (see derma) + esthiein, to eat < esthi, imper. of edmenai, eat

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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