fig-eater

English

a fig-eater beetle, Cotinis mutabilis

a fig-eater (bird), Sylvia hortensis

Alternative forms

• figeater

Etymology

fig +‎ eater

Noun

fig-eater (plural fig-eaters)

1. A large beetle (Cotinis nitida) which has elytra that are velvety green with pale borders, which ranges from eastern Canada to central Texas, and which in the southern United States destroys figs.

   Synonyms: green June beetle, June bug

2. A beetle (Cotinis mutabilis) which ranges from central Texas across the southwestern United States and Mexico.

   Synonyms: figeater beetle, green fruit beetle

3. A bird (Sylvia hortensis) that feeds on figs and grapes, and that people eat as a delicacy.

   Synonyms: figpecker, beccafico, pettychaps

References

• “figeater”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.