ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˈmerəˌdē noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Oedemera, type genus (from Greek oidein to swell + mēros thigh) + New Latin -idae — more at edema , member
: a family of soft-bodied elongate beetles that have heteromerous tarsi, usually strikingly colored adults which frequent flowers, and larvae which feed on decaying wood and sometimes are injurious to damp timbers of wharves, bridges, and mines