sexton beetle

3 definitions found

sexton beetle - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Sexton \Sex"ton\, n. [OE. sextein, contr. fr. sacristan.]
     An under officer of a church, whose business is to take care
     of the church building and the vessels, vestments, etc.,
     belonging to the church, to attend on the officiating
     clergyman, and to perform other duties pertaining to the
     church, such as to dig graves, ring the bell, etc.
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     Sexton beetle (Zool.), a burying beetle.
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  Necrophore \Nec"ro*phore\, n. [Gr. nekro`s a dead body + fe`rein
     to bear.] (Zool.)
     Any one of numerous species of beetles of the genus
     Necrophorus and allied genera; -- called also burying beetle
     , carrion beetle, sexton beetle.
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  Carrion \Car"ri*on\, a.
     Of or pertaining to dead and putrefying carcasses; feeding on
     carrion.
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           A prey for carrion kites.                --Shak.
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     Carrion beetle (Zool.), any beetle that feeds habitually on
        dead animals; -- also called sexton beetle and burying  beetle
        . There are many kinds, belonging mostly to the
        family Silphid[ae].
  
     Carrion buzzard (Zool.), a South American bird of several
        species and genera (as Ibycter, Milvago, and
        Polyborus), which act as scavengers. See Caracara.
  
     Carrion crow, the common European crow (Corvus corone)
        which feeds on carrion, insects, fruits, and seeds.
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