black spot

noun

1

: any of several bacterial or fungal diseases of plants characterized by black spots or blotches especially on the leaves

2

chiefly British : a dangerous or troublesome place or area

… Wisteria Lane has always been a major accident black spot.

—Jane Simon

Examples of black spot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What do Asian lady beetles look like? Asian lady beetles typically have 19 black spots, which can be well-defined or appear as faint traces on their wings, according to the University of Minnesota. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 17 Oct. 2024

As women’s suffrage momentum grew, spreading from western to eastern U.S. states, the map had ever-fewer black spots. —Christina Elizabeth Dando, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2024

Juveniles, known as nymphs, which resemble small, wingless black to red beetles with white spots, are found in the early summer, with adults, characterized by gray to brown outer wings with black spots, emerging in late summer. —Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press, 11 Sep. 2024

Khan said signs of mold include unusual white or black spots, softer texture than normal or bad smells. —Natalie Compton, Washington Post, 5 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Medical Definition

black spot

noun

: a spotting of frozen meat caused by an imperfect fungus of the genus Cladosporium (C. herbarum)