rootworm

American  

[root-wurm, root-] / ˈrutˌwɜrm, ˈrʊt- /

noun

1. the larva of any of several insects, as the cucumber beetle, that feeds on the roots root of plants.

2. any of several nematodes, especially of the genus Heterodera, that puncture and feed in the roots root of plants.

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Etymology

Origin of rootworm

First recorded in 1795–1805; root ¹ + worm

Example Sentences

The corn rootworm, the Colorado potato beetle and soybean aphids all thrive best on the crops that give them their names.

From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2016

Monsanto has applied for regulatory approval of corn that is genetically engineered to use RNAi, as the approach is called for short, to kill the western corn rootworm, one of the costliest of agricultural pests.

From New York Times • Jan. 28, 2014

Beetles, including the corn rootworm, can simply eat the double-stranded RNA to set off the effect.

From New York Times • Jan. 28, 2014

Corn rootworm beetles lay their eggs on corn in the fall so that when their white larvae hatch in the spring they can feast on the plants’ roots.

From Scientific American • Sep. 3, 2013

A single visit from a representative of the Department of Agriculture showed him the cause of the trouble, the corn rootworm, and how it could be eradicated by a simple rotation of crops.

From Community Civics and Rural Life by Dunn, Arthur William