bedbug

[bed-buhg] /ˈbɛdˌbʌg/

noun

a flat, wingless, bloodsucking hemipterous insect, Cimex lectularius, that infests houses and especially beds.

any of several other bloodsucking bugs of the family Cimicidae.

Also, bed bug.

Origin

1800-10; bed + bug¹

Examples from the web for bedbug

My husband happened to be up in the middle of the night and discovered a bedbug walking across the sheet.
To prevent bedbug contamination of other areas, launderable items should be sealed in plastic bags for transport to the laundry.
bedbug infestations have been on the rise worldwide for the past decade.
bedbug cases have been on the rise recently across the world.

British Dictionary definitions for bedbug

bedbug

/ˈbɛdˌbʌɡ/

noun

any of several bloodsucking insects of the heteropterous genus Cimex, esp C. lectularius of temperate regions, having an oval flattened wingless body and infesting dirty houses: family Cimicidae

Word Origin and History for bedbug

also bed-bug, 1772, from bed (n.) + bug (n.).

[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 said that Bugs were not known in England before that time, and many of them were found almost immediately afterwards in the new-built houses. [the Rev. W. Bingley, "Animal Biography; or Anecdotes of the Lives, Manners, and Economy of the Animal Creation," London, 1803]

bedbug in Medicine

bedbug bed·bug (běd'bŭg')
n.
A wingless, odorous insect with a flat, reddish body that infests dwellings and bedding and feeds on human blood.

Slang definitions & phrases for bedbug

bedbug

Related Terms

crazy as a loon