01 n. A small beetle (Anobium tessellatum and other allied species). By forcibly striking its head against woodwork it makes a ticking sound, whi…
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1.
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.(Zool.)“She is always seeing apparitions and hearing deathwatches.” — Addison.“I did not hear the dog howl, mother, or the deathwatch beat.” — Tennyson.
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2.
The guard set over a criminal before his execution.