Meanings
nounrailway beetle (plural railway beetles)
plural railway beetles
- A South American beetle of the family Malacodermidae that exhibits red and green luminescence.
Origin
The luminescence was thought to resemble the lights of a train.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
railway beetle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/railway%20beetle
MLA
“railway beetle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/railway%20beetle. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “railway beetle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/railway%20beetle.
Source: railway beetle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.