deathwatch beetle

Definition

Any of various beetles of the family Anobiidae, now usually included in family Ptinidae, especially Xestobium rufovillosum, that bore into wood and make a tapping sound.

Etymology

Compound of death + watch + beetle. The sound the beetles make is said to resemble a ticking watch, and is sometimes believed to herald death. Attested (as death watch) from the late 17th century.

Example Sentences

• "And chambermaids christen this worm a death-watch: Because like a watch it always cries click; Then woe to those in the house who are sick,"
• "A very deadly enemy to woodwork in churches and other buildings is the creature known as the Death Watch beetle (anobium tessellatum, or rufovillosum)."