deathwatch beetle

== English == === Alternative forms === death-watch beetle === 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. === Noun === deathwatch beetle (plural deathwatch beetles) 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. ==== Translations ==== === References === “death watch, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2014.