noun, feminine/tɛɲ/plural: teignes
a tineid, any of various species of moth, such as the clothes moth; ringworm; louse, vixen (mean or aggressive person)
“Et puis, il y a l'autre des carottes dans les cheveux / Qu'a jamais vu un peigne, qu'est méchant comme une teigne” — And then there's the other one with carrots in his hair / Who's never seen a comb, who's a nasty piece of work
Synonyms: peste
Inherited from Latin tinea, sense from genus name Tinea for the moth.