dieback

[ dahy-bak ]

noun

, Plant Pathology.

1. a condition in a plant in which the branches or shoots die die from the tip inward, caused by any of several bacteria, fungi, or viruses or by certain environmental conditions.

dieback

/ ˈdaɪˌbæk /

noun

1. a disease of trees and shrubs characterized by death of the young shoots, which spreads to the larger branches: caused by injury to the roots or attack by bacteria or fungi
2. any similar condition of herbaceous plants

verb

1. intr, adverb (of plants) to suffer from dieback

Word History and Origins

Origin of dieback¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; die ¹ + back ²

Example Sentences

In this new study, Bos and co-authors show that the ferns, which took advantage of the dieback of forests, themselves were subjected to stress from Hg-pollution well beyond the immediate extinction interval.

From Science Daily

If crossed, this could lead to the rapid and irreversible dieback of the whole rainforest - potentially leading to the region becoming a significant source of CO2 emissions.

From BBC

Cultural evolution among groups would tend to exacerbate resource competition and could lead to direct conflict between groups and even global human dieback.

From Science Daily

"Because of ash dieback and the changes in climate - the crisis that we're facing - we have a very finite amount of time to do something about it," she told BBC News.

From BBC

The invasive nematode is native to Japan and causes leaf deformation, dieback and mortality in infested native and ornamental beech species, officials said.

From Washington Times