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botrytis

American  
[boh-trahy-tis] / boʊˈtraɪ tɪs /

noun

  1. any imperfect fungus of the genus Botrytis, having the conidia in grapelike bunches: a major cause of plant disease.

  2. noble rot.


botrytis British  
/ bɒtˈraɪtɪs /

noun

  1. any of a group of fungi of the genus Botrytis , several of which cause plant diseases

  2. winemaking a fungus of this genus, Botrytis cinerea , which causes noble rot

"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 botrytis

< New Latin (1832) < Greek bótry ( s ) bunch of grapes + New Latin -( ī ) tis -itis

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.

Tokaji is born in a harsh climate that veers from bitter winter to blazing summer, a climate that makes the grapes suffer beautifully for their art and also perfectly suits the growth of a gray fungus called Botrytis cinerea, usually known as “noble rot.”

From Seattle Times

This is particularly appropriate because Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic fungus, meaning it kills its host and then feasts on the remains — a natural vampire that creates something almost immortal out of its predation.

From Seattle Times

Keanumycins also fight Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that produces mold on plants and more than 200 types of food, including grapes and strawberries, according to the news release.

From Washington Post

The authors cooked up a broth of bacteria that produce keanumycin and applied it to a hydrangea plant covered with the fungus Botrytis cinerea, a common blight among greenhouse crops like tomatoes and strawberries.

From New York Times

Freshly-harvested roses, for instance, are then dipped into a chemical mixture to protect them from the fungus, botrytis.

From BBC