adelgid

American  

[uh-del-jid] / əˈdɛl dʒɪd /

noun

1. any of various homopterous insects of the family Adelgidae, as Adelges abietis spruce gall aphid, or spruce gall adelgid and Pineus pinifoliae pine leaf aphid, that feed and form galls on conifers.

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Etymology

Origin of adelgid

From New Latin Adelgidae, equivalent to Adelg(es) a genus name (apparently from Greek ádel(os) “unseen, invisible” ( a- “not” + dêlos “visible, clear”) + New Latin -ges further origin unknown: unexplained by the name's originator) + -idae; see a- ⁶, -id ²

Example Sentences

"While it doesn't cause the adelgid population to decrease, it may be giving trees the ability to 'outgrow' the insect's impact, at least temporarily."

From Science Daily • Sep. 18, 2023

The emerald ash borer and wooly adelgid are also getting a leg up from climate change, which has warmed winters and allowed the insects to expand their North American range.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2022

But in the eastern U.S., native hemlocks are succumbing to a Japanese insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid, which kills trees by sucking out their sap.

From National Geographic • Jan. 30, 2018

The bags exclude other insects — and the branches within are covered with adelgid, just as on eastern hemlocks.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 13, 2017

In just seven years, the woolly adelgid has fatally damaged more than 90 percent of the park’s hemlocks.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson