† pilularyadj.1n.
Obsolete.
A. adj.1
Designating a dung beetle, from its habit of rolling dung up into small balls.
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1661 R. Lovell Πανζωορυκτολογια, sive Panzoologicomineralogia Isagoge sig. C2v The pilularie beetle and spanish flies.
1765 Universal Mag. 37 130/1 The worm that is transformed into the pillulary and stercorary beetle.
B. n.
A dung beetle.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [noun] > Polyphaga (omnivorous) > superfamily Lamellicornia Scarabaeoidea > family Scarabaeidae > member of genus Ateuchus
scarab1579
scarabee1591
pilulary1661
spring beetle1799
pill chafer1804
1661 R. Lovell Πανζωορυκτολογια, sive Panzoologicomineralogia sig. A8 Insects, which are..Terrestrial with feet and wings, and are either anelytra..or coleoptera, having wing-cases;..as the pilularie, melolonthes, purple, atrate.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
† pilularyadj.2
Obsolete. Pharmacology.
= pilular adj.
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1681 S. Pordage tr. T. Willis Ess. Pathol. Brain v. 41 Take of..Ammoniacum dissolved in histerical water, what will suffice, to make a pillulary mass [L. massa pilularis]: of which take four pills, in the morning.
1710 T. Fuller Pharmacopœia Extemporanea 320 Make all into an Alcohol, and then with Turpentine, a pilulary Mass.
1758 Atkins' Navy Surgeon (new ed.) xv. 254 He adds Pil. Cochiæ..with as much Crabs-Eyes as will bring it to a Pilulary Consistence.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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adj.1n.1661adj.21681