bedbug

bedbug
Bug Bug (b[u^]g), n. [OE. bugge, fr. W. bwg, bwgan, hobgoblin, scarecrow, bugbear. Cf. {Bogey}, {Boggle}.] 1. A bugbear; anything which terrifies. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

Sir, spare your threats: The bug which you would fright me with I seek. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. (Zo["o]l.) A general name applied to various insects belonging to the Hemiptera; as, the squash bug; the chinch bug, etc. [1913 Webster]

3. (Zo["o]l.) An insect of the genus {Cimex}, especially the bedbug ({Cimex lectularius}). See {Bedbug}. [1913 Webster]

4. (Zo["o]l.) One of various species of Coleoptera; as, the ladybug; potato bug, etc.; loosely, any beetle. [1913 Webster]

5. (Zo["o]l.) One of certain kinds of Crustacea; as, the sow bug; pill bug; bait bug; salve bug, etc. [1913 Webster]

Note: According to popular usage in England and among housekeepers in America around 1900, bug, when not joined with some qualifying word, was used specifically for {bedbug}. As a general term it is now used very loosely in America as a colloquial term to mean any small crawling thing, such as an insect or arachnid, and was formerly used still more loosely in England. ``God's rare workmanship in the ant, the poorest bug that creeps.'' --Rogers (--Naaman). ``This bug with gilded wings.'' --Pope. [1913 Webster +PJC]

6. (Computers) An error in the coding of a computer program, especially one causing the program to malfunction or fail. See, for example, {year 2000 bug}. ``That's not a bug, it's a feature!'' [PJC]

7. Any unexpected defect or flaw, such as in a machine or a plan. [PJC]

8. A hidden electronic listening device, used to hear or record conversations surreptitiously. [PJC]

9. An infectious microorganism; a germ[4]. [Colloq.] [PJC]

10. An undiagnosed illness, usually mild, believed to be caused by an infectious organism. [Colloq.]

Note: In some communities in the 1990's, the incidence of AIDS is high and AIDS is referred to colloquially as ``the bug''. [PJC]

11. An enthusiast; -- used mostly in combination, as a camera bug. [Colloq.] [PJC]

{Bait bug}. See under {Bait}.

{Bug word}, swaggering or threatening language. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bedbug — Bed bug , n. (Zo[ o]l.) A wingless, bloodsucking, hemipterous insect ({Cimex Lectularius}), sometimes infesting houses and especially beds. See Illustration in Appendix. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bedbug — also bed bug, 1772, from BED (Cf. bed) + BUG (Cf. bug). [The bed bug] is supposed to have been first introduced to this country in the fir timber that was brought over to rebuild London after it had suffered by the great fire; for it is generally …   Etymology dictionary

  • bedbug — ► NOUN ▪ a wingless bug which sucks the blood of sleeping humans …   English terms dictionary

  • bedbug — [bed′bug΄] n. any of various members of a family (Cimicidae) of wingless, bloodsucking hemipteran insects, esp. the species (Cimex lectularius) with a broad, flat, reddish brown body and an unpleasant odor that infests beds, furniture, walls, etc …   English World dictionary

  • Bedbug — Taxobox name = Bedbug image width = 250px image caption = Cimex lectularius regnum = Animalia phylum = Arthropoda classis = Insecta ordo = Hemiptera subordo = Heteroptera familia = Cimicidae familia authority = Kirkaldy, 1909 subdivision ranks =… …   Wikipedia

  • bedbug — /bed bug /, n. 1. a flat, wingless, bloodsucking hemipterous insect, Cimex lectularius, that infests houses and esp. beds. 2. any of several other bloodsucking bugs of the family Cimicidae. Also, bed bug. [1800 10; BED + BUG1] * * * Any member of …   Universalium

  • bedbug — UK [ˈbedˌbʌɡ] / US noun [countable] Word forms bedbug : singular bedbug plural bedbugs an insect with a round body and no wings that sucks people s blood, especially when they are in bed …   English dictionary

  • bedbug — [[t]be̱dbʌg[/t]] bedbugs N COUNT A bedbug is a small insect with a round body and no wings which lives in dirty houses and feeds by biting people and sucking their blood when they are in bed. Syn: parasite …   English dictionary

  • Bedbug (comics) — superherobox caption = character name =Bedbug publisher =Shooting Star Comics debut = Shooting Star Comics Anthology #1 (Summer 2001) creators =Scott Rogers alter ego =Buddy Sprang Base of operations = Silicon City alliances =Super Battalion… …   Wikipedia

  • bedbug — noun Date: 1808 a wingless bloodsucking hemipterous bug (Cimex lectularius) sometimes infesting houses and especially beds and feeding on human blood …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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