A small beetle with a long snout that feeds on plants and seeds, often becoming a pest in crops and stored grain.
From Old English 'wifil' or 'wefel,' possibly related to Old Norse 'vifill.' The word has been in use since at least the 1300s to describe these destructive insects.
The cotton boll weevil was so destructive in the early 1900s American South that it literally reshaped the entire regional economy, forcing farmers to diversify crops and eventually leading to the boll weevil's only monument erected in its honor in Alabama for saving the economy.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.