honeydew

American  

[huhn-ee-doo, -dyoo] / ˈhʌn iˌdu, -ˌdyu /

noun

1. honeydew melon.

2. the sweet material that exudes from the leaves of certain plants in hot weather.

3. a sugary material secreted by aphids, leafhoppers, scale insects, psyllids, and other homopterous insects.

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honeydew British  

/ ˈhʌnɪˌdjuː /

noun

1. a sugary substance excreted by aphids and similar insects

2. a similar substance exuded by certain plants

3. short for honeydew melon

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Other Word Forms

• honeydewed adjective

Etymology

Origin of honeydew

First recorded in 1570–80; honey + dew

Example Sentences

In 10 to 12 days, adults surface to feast for roughly 90 days on honeydew melon, decaying fruit, plant nectar and bird dung.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2024

It then excretes a sticky, sugary waste called honeydew that attracts insects and a form of sooty mold that can finish off the already weakened plants, posing a danger to crops and native trees.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2023

Where the bugs are thick, lanternfly honeydew can kill the forest’s understory by blanketing it in stickiness, which encourages the growth of sooty mold.

From National Geographic • Aug. 31, 2023

The report continued: "Cantaloupes accounted for 56% of the outbreaks, watermelons accounted for 38% and honeydew melons accounted for 6%."

From Salon • Feb. 11, 2023

Each of his hands was covered by a plaster cast, and each cast was as large as a honeydew melon.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Related Words

• cantaloupe
• gourd
• papaya
• watermelon