curculio

American  

[kur-kyoo-lee-oh] / kɜrˈkju liˌoʊ /

noun

curculios plural

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

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curculio British  

/ kɜːˈkjuːlɪˌəʊ /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• curculios
  plural

Etymology

Origin of curculio

1750–60; < Latin: weevil, corn worm

Example Sentences

In the 1890s many smaller growers struggled to afford expensive and elaborate controls to combat pests such as San Jose scale and plum curculio.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2023

Plum curculio worms may show up in fruits if the trees are too deep in the ground — so get all the root flares dramatically exposed by removing mulch and soil.

From Seattle Times • May 27, 2020

David Riley, a professor of entomology at the University of Georgia, works with vegetable pests like cowpea curculio, which has decimated the state’s black-eye pea fields.

From Washington Post • Apr. 20, 2019

He also controls predation from the plum curculio, a snout beetle that’s a major pest of many fruits, not just plums.

From Washington Post • Apr. 25, 2017

My trees are troubled with tent-caterpillar; my fruit with codling-moth, curculio, and gouger.

From The Apple by Various