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mealybug

[ mee-lee-buhg ]
/ ˈmi liˌbʌg /
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noun
any of several scalelike, homopterous insects of the families Pseudococcidae and Eriococcidae that are covered with a powdery wax secretion and feed on plants.
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Origin of mealybug

First recorded in 1815–25; mealy + bug1

Words nearby mealybug

meals on wheels, meal ticket, mealtime, mealworm, mealy, mealybug, mealy-mouthed, mean, mean anomaly, mean business, meander
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for mealybug

mealy bug
noun
any plant-eating homopterous insect of the genus Pseudococcus and related genera, coated with a powdery waxy secretion: some species are pests of citrus fruits and greenhouse plants: family Pseudococcidae
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
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