oystershell scale

[oi-ster-shel]

noun

a scale insect, Lepidosaphes ulmi, having a scale shaped like the shell of an oyster, which infests various deciduous trees and shrubs.

Origin of oystershell scale

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80; oyster + shell

Also called oyster scale.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018