nut weeviln.
/ˈnʌt ˌwiːv(ɪ)l/, U.S. /ˈnət ˌwiv(ə)l/ Any of various weevils (beetles of the family Curculionidae), mainly of the genus Curculio, affecting nut-bearing trees or shrubs; esp. a small yellow-scaled weevil, Curculio nucum, which deposits its eggs in green hazelnuts and filbert nuts.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [noun] > Polyphaga (omnivorous) > superfamily Curculionoidea or Rhyncophora > family Curculionidae or genus Curculio > balaninus nucum (nut-weevil)
nut weevil1803
1803 W. Bingley Animal Biogr. III. 225 The Nut Weevil..is produced from the white grub that we often find living in the interior of the hazel nut.
1838 Penny Cycl. X. 269/2 Great quantities of filberts are rendered useless by being attacked by the nut-weevil.
1863 J. G. Wood Illustr. Nat. Hist. (new ed.) III. 475 The maggots that are so frequently found in nuts..are the larvæ of the Nut weevil.
1912 Science 2 Feb. 191/1 The chestnut-worm, or grub, is the larval stage of Balaninus caryatrypes, one of the Curculionidæ or nut-weevils.
1944 R. Matheson Entomol. for Introd. Courses xv. 369 A considerable number of species are known as nut and acorn weevils.
1981 S. Buczacki & K. M. Harris Collins Guide Pests, Dis. & Disorders Garden Plants 244 Nut weevil. Curculio nucum. Larvae of this long-snout weevil feed on kernels of hazel nuts.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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