deathwatch

• Nom désignant soit un petit insecte aptère qui endommage les livres et le papier, soit une sorte de coléoptère qui fore le bois en produisant un bruit de tic-tac autrefois considéré comme un présage de mort.

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.

   Psoque (insecte des livres)

   • 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.

   Synonymesbark-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.

   Horloge de la mort (insecte)

   • 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.

   Synonymesdeathwatch beetle