aphid
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of aphid
First recorded in 1880–85; back formation from aphides, plural of aphis
Explanation
An aphid is a bug that's considered a pest by many gardeners. Aphids like to eat a variety of plants, including roses, lettuce, peaches, and grapes. Aphids feed by sucking sap or liquid from a plant, and they can be quite destructive to a farmer's crop or a gardener's flower bed, because they reproduce quickly and efficiently. Several kinds of birds and spiders prey on aphids, and farmers use both chemical and biological insecticides to control them. The word aphid comes from the Modern Latin aphis, from 1758, although its origin isn't known.
Vocabulary lists containing aphid
Amazing Animals, List 1
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Amazing Animals, A-Z
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The End of the Wild
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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.
On Friday, Lohman went in search of aphid experts who could chime in.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 30, 2023
He said he had not heard of similar aphid hordes in Canada, either related to the smoke or not.
From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2023
If they grow too numerous—as happened with the aphid experiments—they deposit eggs all over the place.
From Science Magazine • Jul. 19, 2022
However, the common aphid can easily be evicted with a vigorous jet of water and a little hand smushing.
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2022
She bent and flicked away a green aphid that had perched on her dress before she walked away.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
