Beetle Definition
Origin of Beetle
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From Middle English bitle, bityl, bytylle, from Old English bitula, bitela, bītel (“beetle”), from Proto-Germanic *bitulaz, *bītilaz (“that which tends to bite, biter, beetle”), equivalent to bite + -le. Cognate with Danish bille (“beetle”), Icelandic bitil, bitul (“a bite, bit”).
From Wiktionary
From Middle English bitel-brouwed (“beetle-browed”). Possibly after beetle#Etymology 1, from the fact that some beetles have bushy antennae.
From Wiktionary
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Middle English betil from Old English bitela from bītan to bite bheid- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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Back-formation from Middle English bitel-brouwed beetle-browed beetle-browed
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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Middle English betel from Old English bȳtl bhau- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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Middle English betel, from Old English bīetel, akin to bēatan (“to beat”)
From Wiktionary
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