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corn earworm

noun
  1. the larva of a cosmopolitan noctuid moth, Heliothis zea, that is highly destructive to crops, especially corn, cotton, and tomato.

Origin of corn earworm

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805
Also called earworm, bollworm, cotton bollworm, tomato fruitworm.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for corn earworm

corn earworm

noun
  1. US the larva of the noctuid moth Heliothis armigera, which feeds on maize and many other crop plantsSee also bollworm
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