cockroach
/ˈkɒkrəʊtʃ
/noun
A beetle-like scavenging insect with long antennae and legs. Several tropical kinds have become established worldwide as household pests.
- Suborder Blattodea, order Dictyoptera: many genera and species, including the common cockroach (Blatta orientalis) and the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana).
- The ants and the cockroaches have also begun to return; no longer is it safe to leave the cat food out on the back step.
- Removing the space prevents cockroaches and other pests from residing in the dark corners.
Origin
Early 17th century (as cacaroch): from Spanish cucaracha. The spelling change was due to association with cock1 and roach2.
The early written form of cockroach was cacaroch, from the Spanish cucaracha ‘cockroach’. People adapted the spelling to make it fit in better with the more familiar English words cock and roach (Middle English), the freshwater fish, whose origin is unknown.
- royalness
- Royal Oak
- Royal Oak Day
- Royal Observatory
- royal octavo
- royal palm
- royal pardon
- royal patronage
- royal pendulum
- royal plural
- royal pole
- royal prerogative
- royal purple
- royal python
- royal quarto
- royal refugee
- royal road to
- royal sail
- Royal Scot
- Royal Shakespeare Company
- Royal Society
- Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
- Royal Society of Arts
- Royal Society of London