beetle

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bee·tle1 / ˈbētl/ • n. an insect of an order (Coleoptera) distinguished by having forewings typically modified into hard wing cases (elytra) that cover and protect the hind wings and abdomen. ∎  (loosely) a similar insect, esp. a black one.• v. inf. make one's way hurriedly: the tourist beetled off.bee·tle2 • n. a tool with a heavy head and a handle, used for tasks such as ramming, crushing, and driving wedges; a maul. ∎  a machine used for heightening the luster of cloth by pressure from rollers.• v. [tr.] ram, crush, or drive with a beetle.bee·tle2 • v. [intr.] [usu. as adj.] (beetling) (of a person's eyebrows) project or overhang threateningly: piercing eyes glittered beneath a great beetling brow.• adj. (of a person's eyebrows) shaggy and projecting.DERIVATIVES: bee·tle-browed adj.

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