: any of various usually nocturnal lepidopteran insects with antennae that are often feathery, with a stouter body, duller coloring, and proportionately smaller wings than the butterflies, and with larvae that are plant-eating caterpillars
Recent Examples on the WebNearly one million of those acres was in Michigan alone, where the moth has a strong presence. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Sep. 2022 Wikelski, a migration researcher with the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, flew the moth-tracking airplane. Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2022 The project’s task force was also responsible for renaming the Lymantria dispar, the spongy moth.New York Times, 27 July 2022 These designs startle a predator into rethinking an attack, allowing escape or making the moth appear too big to handle. Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 21 July 2022 Only the white witch moth (Thysania agrippina) has a larger wingspan, at around 14 inches. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Aug. 2022 And a gigantic moth was seen in the U.S. for possibly the first time ever. Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 18 Aug. 2022 Police had been called to her home to perform a welfare check at the request of a concerned neighbor who had not seen her in a moth. Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 4 Aug. 2022 The moth, which was previously known as the gypsy moth, is one reason Wisconsin has rules against transporting firewood. Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12 May 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English mothe, from Old English moththe; akin to Middle High German motte moth
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of moth was before the 12th century