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  Beethoven, Ludwig van beetle2  
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   The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.  2000.
 
beetle1
 
SYLLABICATION:bee·tle
PRONUNCIATION:  btl
NOUN:1. Any of numerous insects of the order Coleoptera, having biting mouthparts and forewings modified to form horny coverings that protect the underlying pair of membranous hind wings when at rest. 2. An insect resembling a member of the order Coleoptera.
INTRANSITIVE VERB:Inflected forms: bee·tled, bee·tling, bee·tles
To make one's way or move like a beetle: “Chambermaids . . . beetled from bedroom to bedroom loaded with . . . champagne” (Vanity Fair).
ETYMOLOGY:Middle English betil, from Old English bitela, from btan, to bite. See bheid- in Appendix I.
 
 
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS · INDEX · ILLUSTRATIONS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD
  Beethoven, Ludwig van beetle2  
 
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