bristletail

B3R1I1S1T1L1E1T1A1I1L1
US/ˈbɹɪsəlˌteɪl/

noun

jumping bristletails in the insect order Archaeognatha

Origintranslingual Thysanura →
First used 18th c.Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounbristletail (plural bristletail or bristletails)

plural bristletails · alternative bristle-tail

  1. Any of various small, active six-legged arthropods that have two or three bristles at the ends of their abdomens and that do not have wings. These were formerly classified together in the insect subclass Apterygota or the order Thysanura but are no longer considered closely related:
    1. jumping bristletails in the insect order ArchaeognathaFirst known use 18th c.
    2. insects in the order Zygentoma such as silverfish and firebrats
    3. two-pronged bristletails in the hexapod order Diplura

Origin

  1. translingualThysanura
  2. Englishbristletail

Calque of translingual Thysanura, as Ancient Greek θύσανος (thúsanos, “bristle”) + Ancient Greek οὐρᾱ́ (ourā́, “tail”). By surface analysis, bristle + tail.

More words from translingual

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 衣魚 /衣鱼
  • 衣魚 /衣鱼 (yīyú)insect of the order Zygentoma
Finnish sokeritoukka
  • sokeritoukkainsect of the order Zygentoma
French lépisme, poisson d'argent
  • lépismeinsect of the order Zygentoma
  • poisson d'argentinsect of the order Zygentoma
German Silberfischchen
  • Silberfischcheninsect of the order Zygentoma
Hungarian sertefarkú
  • sertefarkúinsect of the order Zygentoma
Italian acciughina
  • acciughinainsect of the order Zygentoma
Polish rybik
  • rybikinsect of the order Zygentoma
Portuguese traça, traça-de-livros
  • traçainsect of the order Zygentoma
  • traça-de-livrosinsect of the order Zygentoma
  • lepismainsect of the order Zygentoma
Russian щетнихво́стка, чешу́йница
  • щетнихво́стка (ščetnixvóstka)insect of the order Zygentoma
  • чешу́йница (češújnica)insect of the order Zygentoma
  • са́харная чешу́йница (sáxarnaja češújnica)insect of the order Zygentoma
Spanish pececillo de plata, lepisma de la harina
  • pececillo de platainsect of the order Zygentoma
  • lepisma de la harinainsect of the order Zygentoma
  • lepisma del azúcarinsect of the order Zygentoma
Cite this entry
APA

bristletail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bristletail

MLA

“bristletail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bristletail. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bristletail,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bristletail.

Source: bristletail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.