curculio

[ kur-kyoo-lee-oh ]

noun,plural cur·cu·li·os.

any of several weevils, especially one of the genus Conotrachelus, as C. nenuphar(plum curculio ), which feeds on plums, cherries, and other fruits.

Origin of curculio

1750–60; <Latin: weevil, corn worm

Words Nearby curculio

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use curculio in a sentence

It is usually productive wherever peaches flourish, if not destroyed by the curculio.
Soil Culture | J. H. Walden
Two of the best of these are the 'curculio' and the 'Epidicus.'
The Roman Poets of the Republic | William Young Sellar
The "curculio" alone destroys millions of dollars' worth of fruit annually.
The $100 Prize Essay on the Cultivation of the Potato; and How to Cook the Potato | D. H. Compton and Pierre Blot
But how many a man who fights the curculio with all his fortune is himself stung all over by selfishness and pride!
From the Easy Chair, series 3 | George William Curtis
I have been unable to find any sign of curculio injury this year, although I have seen it nearby on some native butternut trees.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting | Northern Nut Growers Association

British Dictionary definitions for curculio

curculio

/ (kɜːˈkjuːlɪˌəʊ) /

nounplural -lios

any of various American weevils, esp Conotrachelus nenuphar (plum curculio), a pest of fruit trees

Origin of curculio

C18: from Latin: grain weevil

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

Browse