oestrum

O1E1S1T1R1U1M3

noun

A biting insect; a gadfly or botfly.

OriginLatin oestrum →
First used 17th–19th c.Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nounoestrum (countable and uncountable, plural oestrums)

plural oestrums · alternative aestro · alternative oestro

  1. countableobsoleteuncountableA biting insect; a gadfly or botfly.First known use 17th–19th c.

    In the œstrum or gadfly, the wimble draws out like the pieces of a spy-glass […].

    1802, William Paley, Natural Theology, section XIX
  2. archaiccountablefigurativelyuncountableSomething that stings or incites one to frenzy or action; an impulse or passion.First known use 17th c.

    […]at Other times flow'd Eaſy his Unpremeditated Verſe, with a certain Impetus and Æſtro, as Himſelf ſeem'd to Believe.

    1734, Jonathan Richardson, Explanatory Notes on Milton's Paradise Lost, London: Knapton, page cxiv
  3. archaiccountableuncountablebiologyEstrus.First known use 18th c.

Origin

  1. Latinoestrum
  2. Englishoestrum

From Latin oestrum, variant of oestrus.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

rosetum
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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