promethea moth

noun

pro·​me·​thea moth

prə|ˈmēthēə-,

prō|

variants or less commonly prometheus moth

-thēəs-,

-ˌth(y)üs-

: a large American saturniid silkworm moth (Callosamia promethea) having the wings and body chiefly smoky brown in the male and reddish brown in the female and a larva that feeds on sassafras, wild cherry, and other trees and suspends its cocoon from a branch by a silken band compare cecropia moth

Word History

Etymology

promethea from New Latin, from Latin, feminine of prometheus Promethean; prometheus from Greek Promētheus

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