gypsy moth


noun
  1. a moth, Porthetria dispar, introduced into the U.S. from Europe, the larvae of which feed on the foliage of shade and other trees.

Origin of gypsy moth

1
First recorded in 1810–20

Words Nearby gypsy moth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gypsy moth in a sentence

  • Already the gypsy moth in the East is being fought in this way.

    The Spell of the Rockies | Enos A. Mills
  • Into the orchard, for instance, had come the San José scale; into the wood-lot had crawled the gypsy-moth—human blunders!

    The Face of the Fields | Dallas Lore Sharp
  • Fortunately the caterpillar of the terribly destructive gypsy moth is another favourite dainty.

  • Cat-birds, cuckoos and orioles are very important enemies of gypsy moth.

  • The gypsy moth, which did no great harm in its European home, was brought to this country and accidentally set free.

    Conservation Reader | Harold W. Fairbanks

British Dictionary definitions for gypsy moth

gypsy moth

noun
  1. a variant spelling of gipsy moth

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