||Der*mes"tes (?), n. [NL., from Gr. dermhsth`s; de`rma skin + root of &?; to eat.] (Zoöl.) A genus of coleopterous insects, the larvæ of which feed animal substances. They are very destructive to dries meats, skins, woolens, and furs. The most common species is D. lardarius, known as the bacon beetle.