cotton stainer

noun

1. any of several large red-and-black bugs of the genus Dysdercus that puncture oranges and cotton bolls and discolor cotton fibers: a serious pest in America and India.

cotton stainer

noun

1. any of various heteropterous insects of the genus Dysdercus: serious pests of cotton, piercing and staining the cotton bolls: family Pyrrhocoridae

Word History and Origins

Origin of cotton stainer¹

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

The “cotton stainers,” various species of Dysdercus, are widely distributed, occurring for example in America, the West Indies, Africa, India, &c.

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