deathwatch beetle noun1 •Any of various beetles of the family Anobiidae, now usually included in family Ptinidae, especially Xestobium rufovillosum, that bore into wood and make a tapping sound.And chambermaids christen this worm a death-watch: Because like a watch it always cries click; Then woe to those in the house who are sick, — 1819 formsdeathwatch beetles
