deathwatch

• Substantiv, das entweder ein winziges flügelloses Insekt bezeichnet, das Bücher und Papier schädigt, oder einen Käfer, der Holz zernagt und dabei ein tickendes Geräusch erzeugt, das einst als Todesomen galt.

A noun referring to either a minute wingless insect that damages books and papers, or a type of beetle that bores through wood, producing a ticking sound once believed to be an omen of death.

1. Booklouse insectC2formalscientific

   A minute, wingless insect of the order Psocoptera that feeds on mold and organic matter, often found in books and papers.

   Staublaus

   • The deathwatch beetle is often confused with the booklouse.
   • These tiny insects, known as deathwatch, can damage old library collections.
   • A deathwatch infestation can be hard to detect without a magnifying glass.

   Synonymebark-lousebook lousebooklousepsocid

2. C2formalscientific

   A type of wood-boring beetle that produces a ticking sound as it bores through wood, historically believed to be an omen of death.

   Totenkäfer

   • The deathwatch beetle's ticking sound was once thought to foretell a death in the house.
   • Old timber in historic buildings is often vulnerable to the deathwatch beetle.
   • The distinctive noise of the deathwatch beetle can be heard in quiet rooms at night.

   Synonymedeathwatch beetle