phylloxera

American  

[fil-uhk-seer-uh, fi-lok-ser-uh] / ˌfɪl əkˈsɪər ə, fɪˈlɒk sər ə /

noun

plural

phylloxerae, phylloxeras

1. any of several plant lice of the genus Phylloxera, especially P. vitifoliae grape phylloxera, which attacks the leaves and roots of grapevines.

---

phylloxera British  

/ ˌfɪlɒkˈsɪərə, fɪˈlɒksərə /

noun

1. any homopterous insect of the genus Phylloxera, such as P. vitifolia (or Viteus vitifolii ) ( vine phylloxera ), typically feeding on plant juices, esp of vines: family Phylloxeridae

---

Etymology

Origin of phylloxera

1865–70; < New Latin (1834) < Greek phyllo- phyllo- + xērá, feminine of xērós dry; so named in reference to the dessication of leaves caused by some species

Example Sentences

Virtually all of our vines are planted on their own roots, while all of California is grafted onto rootstock that is resistant to a terrible pest called phylloxera.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2022

But first, they had to survive phylloxera — a kind of black plague for wine grapes, probably carried west from resistant East Coast vines.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2022

By the 1880s, the phylloxera rampage cut France's vibrant and essential industry in half, causing the price of wine to skyrocket.

From Salon • Oct. 30, 2022

Bordeaux was recovering from the ravages of phylloxera, reestablishing its vineyards with a sense of optimism and exploring modern technology and chemistry to fight traditional vine diseases.

From Washington Post • Nov. 24, 2021

People had begun leaving in 1913, when the phylloxera blight ruined the currants.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides