noun
measuring worms
• Syn: ↑family Geometridae
• Hypernyms: ↑arthropod family
• Member Holonyms: ↑Lepidoptera, ↑order Lepidoptera
• Member Meronyms:
↑geometrid, ↑geometrid moth, ↑Paleacrita, ↑genus Paleacrita, ↑Alsophila, ↑genus Alsophila, ↑cankerworm
* * *
\\ˌjēəˈme.trəˌdē\ noun pluralUsage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin geometres, geometra geometer + New Latin -idae; from the looping movement, suggestive of earth measurement — more at geometer
: a family of chiefly medium-sized and slender-bodied moths with large wings and larvae that are loopers and that often feed destructively on various trees and cultivated plants
Useful english dictionary. 2012.