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cockroach

Syllabification: (cock·roach)
Pronunciation: /ˈkäkˌrōCH/
Translate cockroach | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of cockroach

noun

  • a beetlelike insect with long antennae and legs, feeding by scavenging. Several tropical species have become established worldwide as pests in homes and food service establishments.
    • Suborder Blattodea, order Dictyoptera: many genera and species, including the oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis) and the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana); some, especially in the genus Ectobius, are small temperate species that live outdoors

Origin:

early 17th century (as cacaroch): from Spanish cucaracha. The spelling change was due to association with cock1 and roach2

cockroach in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of cockroach in the British & World English dictionary