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Noun: deathwatch  'deth,wóch
  1. Minute wingless psocopterous insects injurious to books and papers
    - booklouse, book louse, Liposcelis divinatorius
     
  2. Bores through wood making a ticking sound popularly thought to presage death
    - deathwatch beetle, Xestobium rufovillosum

Derived forms: deathwatches

Type of: beetle, psocopterous insect

Part of: Anobiidae, family Anobiidae, genus Liposcelis, Liposcelis

Encyclopedia: Deathwatch