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Chafers

Fauna
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A type of beetle or insect, especially one that feeds on plants. The form here is an older plural spelling.

Detailed Definition
A chafer is a beetle, often one that can damage leaves or crops. Blake’s use of "Chafers" in a list of small creatures gives the poem a natural-history feel, but the word is uncommon today and may not be immediately recognized.
Example
Example in poetry:
“He who torments the Chafers’ Sprite” invokes the humble beetle in a folkloric register; A chafer worries the rose leaf while evening gathers; May chafers drone like small engines over a modern lawn; The child cups a chafer briefly then lets its bright wing-case go
Additional Notes
"Chafers" is an uncommon insect name in the quoted line, so readers may not know it at once.; Found in the poem, Auguries of Innocence by William Blake
Also Known As
beetles insects
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