1.
[syn: click beetle, skipjack, snapping beetle]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Elater \El"a*ter\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? driver, fr. ? to drive.]
1. (Bot.) An elastic spiral filament for dispersing the
spores, as in some liverworts.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Zo["o]l.) Any beetle of the family Elaterid[ae], having
the habit, when laid on the back, of giving a sudden
upward spring, by a quick movement of the articulation
between the abdomen and thorax; -- called also click
beetle, spring beetle, and snapping beetle.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Zo["o]l.) The caudal spring used by Podura and related
insects for leaping. See Collembola.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Click beetle \Click" bee"tle\ (Zool.)
See Elater.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
click beetle
n 1: able to right itself when on its back by flipping into the
air with a clicking sound [syn: click beetle, skipjack,
snapping beetle]