Eggar

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A stout, hairy moth of the family Lasiocampidae whose caterpillars often feed on heather and other low plants
2. A member of the lasiocampid moth family, typically with a thick furry body and larvae that spin silken cocoons
3. Any of several robust, woolly-bodied moths in the family Lasiocampidae, known for their dense coloration and camouflage

Etymology: The eggar is a moth, and its name seems to have come from the egg-shaped cocoon the caterpillar spins. The word is an alteration of "egger", a name that refers directly to that cocoon's shape. Entomologists use it for several large moths in the family Lasiocampidae, the eggars, whose caterpillars are often hairy and whose silk cocoons are sturdy and rounded. The "-ar" ending is the feature that gives the word its odd look. It is a change to the older form "egger", and the source ties the change to the same cocoon-shaped idea rather than to any separate root. Compare the way the "egger" form itself points straight at the egg the cocoon resembles.