tristeza

noun

tris·​te·​za tri-ˈstā-zə 

: a highly infectious disease of citrus trees grafted on sour orange rootstocks that is caused by a single-stranded RNA virus (species Citrus tristeza virus of the genus Closterovirus, family Closteroviridae) transmitted by aphids and that eventually causes death of the trees

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese, literally, sadness, from Latin tristitia, from tristis sad

First Known Use

circa 1902, in the meaning defined above