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potatobug

or pota·to bug

[puh-tey-toh-buhg, -tey-tuh-]
noun
  1. Colorado potato beetle.
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Origin of potatobug

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800
Also called potato beetle.

Colorado potato beetle

noun
  1. a black and yellow leaf beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, originally of Colorado and neighboring states but now a common pest in all potato-growing regions of the U.S.
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Origin of Colorado potato beetle

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70
Also called Colorado beetle, potato beetle, potatobug.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for potato beetle

potato beetle

noun
  1. another name for the Colorado beetle
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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