Meanings
nounpalmetto bug (plural palmetto bugs)
plural palmetto bugs
- Florida woods cockroach (Eurycotis floridana).
- FloridaSouthern USAny cockroach (order Blattodea), but especially an American cockroach (Periplaneta americana).
Origin
So called because they are often found on palmetto trees in the American South.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
palmetto bug. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palmetto%20bug
MLA
“palmetto bug.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palmetto%20bug. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “palmetto bug,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palmetto%20bug.
Source: palmetto bug on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.