'weevil' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'wēfela' (also attested as 'wīfel'), where the root meant 'a beetle or insect'.

'weevil' changed from Old English 'wēfela' / 'wīfel' into Middle English forms such as 'wevyl' or 'wevil', and eventually became the modern English word 'weevil'.

Initially it meant a general 'beetle' or insect; over time the meaning narrowed to refer specifically to the snout beetles of the family Curculionidae.