sphinx moth
noun
: hawk moth
Note: The larvae of the hawk or sphinx moth often assume a defensive position in which the front end is raised in a manner suggestive of the Egyptian sphinx.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web For example, the aforementioned and dreaded tomato hornworm metamorphizes into the large sphinx moth, a nighttime pollinator important to pitahaya and other night-blooming plants. 
Linda Jones, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2020 These rare, charming orchids were long thought to be pollinated by a single insect: the giant sphinx moth. Douglas Main, National Geographic, 11 July 2019 He was proven right 130 years later, when Morgan’s sphinx moth (Xanthopan morganii) was seen feeding from the orchid with its huge tongue. Douglas Main, National Geographic, 11 July 2019
Linda Jones, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2020 These rare, charming orchids were long thought to be pollinated by a single insect: the giant sphinx moth. Douglas Main, National Geographic, 11 July 2019 He was proven right 130 years later, when Morgan’s sphinx moth (Xanthopan morganii) was seen feeding from the orchid with its huge tongue. Douglas Main, National Geographic, 11 July 2019 Word History
First Known Use
1839, in the meaning defined above
- equaling
- equaling file
- equalisation
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- equalization fund
- equalization period
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- equalized