cadelle

Sep. 18th, 2012 07:18 am
prettygoodword: text: words are sexy (Default)
[personal profile] prettygoodword
cadelle (kuh-DEL) - n., a small black beetle (Tenebroides mauritanicus) that feeds on stored grain and other insects.


Both larvae and adults are pests worldwide, having been imported everywhere with grains. As larvae, the white maggots that infested ships biscuits (cf. Patrick O'Brian) were called bargemen. "Small" is relative, btw -- they grow to about a centimeter long. The name was borrowed around 1860 from French, which borrowed it from Provençal cadello, from Latin catella, feminine of catellus, puppy, diminutive of catulus, young animal.

Puppy!

---L.
This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting

June 2025

S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 67
8 9 10 11 12 1314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930     

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jun. 16th, 2025 07:47 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios