aphid

[ey-fid, af-id]

noun

1. any of numerous tiny soft-bodied insects of the family Aphididae of worldwide distribution, that suck the sap from the stems and leaves of various plants, some developing wings when overcrowding occurs: an important pest of many fruit trees and vegetable crops.

aphid

/ ˈeɪfɪd, əˈfɪdɪən /

noun

1. Also called: plant louse. any of the small homopterous insects of the family Aphididae, which feed by sucking the juices from plants See also greenfly blackfly

Other Word Forms

• aphidian adjective
• aphidious adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of aphid¹

First recorded in 1880–85; back formation from aphides, plural of aphis

Word History and Origins

Origin of aphid¹

C19: back formation from aphides, plural of _aphis

Example Sentences

It made its American debut in the early 20th century, when the U.S. government released it in an effort to control aphids.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The warmth and sunshine led to a huge increase in the insect population across the UK and aphids, the scourge of gardeners, boomed according to the Royal Horticultural Society, external.

Read more on BBC

Earlier in the year the Royal Horticultural Society correctly predicted that we were in for an abundant year for aphids.

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His approach to removing aphids, for instance, is to bring out a small paint brush as soon as they’re spotted, to literally sweep them off the plants.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Some insects, including aphids and cicadas, feed on phloem – the living tissue inside plants that carries food made in the leaves to other parts of the plant – and may also benefit from carbon-rich plants.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• ant 
• bee 
• beetle 
• butterfly 
• cockroach 
• dragonfly 
• flea 
• fruit fly 
• gnat 
• grasshopper 
• ladybug 
• mite 
• mosquito 
• moth 
• pest 
• spider 
• termite 
• tick