minute wingless psocopterous insects injurious to books and papers
source: WordNet 3.0
bores through wood making a ticking sound popularly thought to presage death
source: WordNet 3.0
A small beetle (Anobium tessellatum and other allied species). By forcibly striking its head against woodwork it makes a ticking sound, which is a call of the sexes to each other, but has been imagined by superstitious people to presage death.
