malacoderm

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek μαλακός (malakós, “soft”) +‎ -derm.

Noun

malacoderm (plural malacoderms)

1. (zoology, dated) One of a former tribe of beetles (Malacodermata), with a soft and flexible body.

   The fireflies are malacoderms.

References

• “malacoderm”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.