ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
: the larva of various beetles of the family Tenebrionidae that infests, feeds on, and pollutes grain products (as flour and meals) but is often cultured for food for insectivorous animals, laboratory use, or as bait for fishing ; especially : a pale brown to yellowish larva of a cosmopolitan beetle ( Tenebrio molitor ) — called also yellow mealworm