thrips

[ thrips ]

/ θrɪps /

noun, plural thrips.

any of several minute insects of the order Thysanoptera, that have long, narrow wings fringed with hairs and that infest and feed on a wide variety of weeds and crop plants.

Nearby words

thrill to pieces, thrill-seeker, thriller, thrilling, thrippence, thrips, thrive, thrix, thro, thro', throat

Origin of thrips

1650–60; < New Latin < Greek thríps (singular) woodworm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for thrips

Every frozen or fresh package of spinach can contain up to 50 aphids, mites, or thrips before the FDA labels it contaminated.
Forget the Starbucks Backlash—We Should Be Eating More Bugs|Daniel Stone|April 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They are generally known to gardeners by the name of "Thrips."
The Young Collector's Handbook of Ants, Bees, Dragon-flies, Earwigs, Crickets, and Flies|W. Harcourt Bath
Brown and blackish spots on Pears are caused by a species of Thrips.
Disease in Plants|H. Marshall Ward
They are liable to the attacks of thrips and red spider, which do great mischief if not promptly destroyed.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1|Various

They were commonly stated to be pollinated by thrips and other insects.
Cocoa and Chocolate|Arthur W. Knapp
A decided advance toward a metamorphosis is exhibited by insects known as thrips (Fig. 4).
Garden Pests in New Zealand|D. Miller

British Dictionary definitions for thrips

thrips

/ (θrɪps) /

noun plural thrips

any of various small slender-bodied insects of the order Thysanoptera, typically having piercing mouthparts and narrow feathery wings and feeding on plant sap. Some species are serious plant pests

Word Origin for thrips

C18: via New Latin from Greek: woodworm

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