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soft scale

American  

noun

  1. any of numerous homopterous insect pests of the family Coccidae, as leafhoppers, aphids, and whiteflies, that are destructive to crops, shade and fruit trees, and various houseplants.

Etymology

Origin of soft scale

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The quick-heated metal forms only a soft scale which does not wear out the dies as fast as the hard scale of slow-heated shell material.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.