E'ARWIG, noun A genus of insects of the order of Coleopters. The antennae are bristly; the elytra dimidiated; the wings covered; and the tail forked. This animal is called in Latin forficula, from the forceps at the end of the abdomen. The English name was given to it from an ill founded notion that the animal creeps into the ear and causes injury.

In New England, this name is vulgarly given to a species of centiped.