A weevil is a small insect which feeds on grain and seeds, and destroys crops.
weevil in British English
(ˈwiːvɪl)
noun
1. Also called: snout beetle
any beetle of the family Curculionidae, having an elongated snout (rostrum): they are pests, feeding on plants and plant products
See also boll weevil
2. Also called: pea weevil, bean weevil
any of various beetles of the family Bruchidae (or Lariidae), the larvae of which live in the seeds of leguminous plants
3.
any of various similar or related beetles
Derived forms
weevily (ˈweevily)
adjective
Word origin
Old English wifel; related to Old High German wibil; compare Old Norse tordӯfill dungbeetle
weevil in American English
(ˈwivəl)
noun
any of various families of beetles (esp. Curculionidae) having the head prolonged into a projecting beak that usually curves downward, and including many pest species that feed, esp. as larvae, on cotton, fruits, grain, etc.
Word origin
ME wevel < OE wifel, akin to MLowG wevel < IE *webh-, to move to and fro, weave
Examples of 'weevil' in a sentence
weevil
`Nobody very exciting, just one of the weevil family," she called over, displaying the quivering dot on her hand.
Various LOOKING FOR THE SPARK (2001)
He was already beginning to think of Jordan as a kind of spiritual weevil or mouse in his woodwork.
Butler, Gwendoline COFFIN IN FASHION (2001)
Neither of them had a good word to say about the carpenter ant or the Japanese beetle, much less the curculio weevil.
MacLeod, Charlotte SOMETHING IN THE WATER (2001)
Got a boll weevil off the merci, and it just ate your house down.