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khapra beetle definition

kha·pra beetle (kä′prə)

a dermestid beetle (Trogoderma granarium) native to S and SE Asia, now a destructive grain pest in much of the world

Etymology: Hindi khaprā, lit., destroyer, akin to Sans kṣayati, (he) destroys < IE *gwhthei(e)-, to swindle, destroy > Gr phthiein, to waste away

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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