- Any one of numerous species of snout beetles, or
Rhynchophora, in which the head is elongated and usually curved
downward. Many of the species are very injurious to cultivated plants.
The larvae of some of the species live in nuts, fruit, and grain by
eating out the interior, as the plum weevil, or curculio, the nut
weevils, and the grain weevil (see under Plum, Nut, and Grain). The
larvae of other species bore under the bark and into the pith of trees
and various other plants, as the pine weevils (see under Pine). See
also Pea weevil, Rice weevil, Seed weevil, under Pea, Rice, and Seed.
Definition
[ n.]