tarnished plant bug

noun

: a common hemipterous brownish bug (Lygus lineolaris) of eastern North America that causes injury to plants especially by sucking sap from buds, leaves, and fruits

Illustration of tarnished plant bug

Illustration of tarnished plant bug

Examples of tarnished plant bug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Other possible causes include frost injury to flowers and young fruits or tarnished plant bug injury. Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 18 June 2021 Attacks of tarnished plant bugs show up as black joints or brown, sunken areas. The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 19 Apr. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tarnished plant bug was in 1902

Dictionary Entries Near tarnished plant bug

Cite this Entry

“Tarnished plant bug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tarnished%20plant%20bug. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on tarnished plant bug

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!