moth-er
nounUK /ˈmɒðə/ · US /ˈmɔðɚ/
Etymology Coined from moth + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (occupational suffix) by analogy to mouser, with the hyphen kept to avoid confusion with mother (“female parent”).
1
A person (especially an entomologist) or animal that catches moths.
- Modern moth-ers use black lights, mercury vapor lamps, and portable generators to saturate the night sky[.]1997 May, Backpacker, volume 25, number 4, page 30:
- Many species of bats are skilled ‘moth-ers’: they pursue them at speed after detecting them[.]1997, Joshua M. Epstein, Nonlinear Dynamics, Mathematical Biology, and Social Science:
1 more example
- Real moth-ers, mothies or lepidopterists, will use a mercury vapour bulb and even a special trap[.]2015, Tessa Wardley, The Countryside Book: 101 Ways To Play, Watch Wildlife, ...: