Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of numerous usually brown or gray night-flying moths of the family Noctuidae, many of which have larvae, such as the cutworms and armyworms, that are agricultural pests.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A noctuid moth; one of the Noctuidæ.
  • Pertaining to the Noctuidæ. Also noctuidous.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous moths of the family Noctuidæ, or Noctuælitæ, as the cutworm moths, and armyworm moths; -- so called because they fly at night.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any moth of the family Noctuidae

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun usually dull-colored medium-sized nocturnal moth; the usually smooth-bodied larvae are destructive agricultural pests

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From New Latin Noctuidae, family name, from Noctua, type genus, from Latin noctua, night owl; see nekw-t- in Indo-European roots.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word noctuid.

Examples

  • Instead, it is a similar brownish "noctuid" caterpillar / moth that has never before been reported as a widespread pest in Liberia but annually plagues parts of nearby Benin (see map).

    Rainforest Portal RSS Newsfeed 2009

  • Instead, it is a similar brownish "noctuid" caterpillar / moth that has never before been reported as a widespread pest in Liberia but annually plagues parts of nearby Benin.

    Signs of the Times 2009

  • Lithophane moths are members of the noctuid family, which often are dull colored.

    Biologist Discovers Pink-Winged Moth | Impact Lab 2009

  • When I got back into bed and started to read again, a thick brown noctuid moth was at the helm.

    The Elephant's Secret Sense Caitlin O'Connell 2007

  • When I got back into bed and started to read again, a thick brown noctuid moth was at the helm.

    The Elephant's Secret Sense Caitlin O'Connell 2007

  • When I got back into bed and started to read again, a thick brown noctuid moth was at the helm.

    The Elephant's Secret Sense Caitlin O'Connell 2007

  • When I got back into bed and started to read again, a thick brown noctuid moth was at the helm.

    The Elephant's Secret Sense Caitlin O'Connell 2007

  • The evening primrose, with outstretched filaments, hangs a golden necklace about the welcome murmuring noctuid, while the various orchids excel in the ingenuity of their salutations.

    My Studio Neighbors William Hamilton Gibson 1873

  • According to a report in Nature News, the study used radar to track the movement of more than 100,000 noctuid moths, hawkmoths and butterflies as they migrated to northern Europe in the spring and south to the Mediterranean in autumn every year between 2000 and 2007.

    Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and incisive views 24/7 Ani 2010

  • The army worm is the caterpillar form of the noctuid or Owlet moth.

    Latest News - UPI.com 2009

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.