any of the insects of the cosmopolitan order Coleoptera, in which the forewings are modified to form shell-like protective elytra. The order includes the beetles and weevils
adjective also: coleopterous
2.
of, relating to, or belonging to the order Coleoptera
Word origin
C18: from New Latin Coleoptera, from Greek koleoptera, from koleopteros sheath-winged, from koleon sheath + pteron wing
coleopteran in American English
(ˌkoʊliˈɑptərən; ˌ kɑliˈɑptərən)
noun
beetle1 (sense 1)
Derived forms
coleopterous (ˌcoleˈopterous)
adjective
Word origin
< ModL Coleoptera (< Gr koleopteros, sheath-winged < koleos, sheath + pteron, wing: see feather) + -an