cutworm

American

[kuht-wurm] / ˈkʌtˌwɜrm /

noun

the larva of any of several noctuid moths, which feeds at night on the stems of young plants, cutting them off at the ground.

cutworm British

/ ˈkʌtˌwɜːm /

noun

the caterpillar of various noctuid moths, esp those of the genus Argrotis, which is a pest of young crop plants in North America

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cutworm

First recorded in 1800–10; cut + worm

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