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tobacco mosaic

American

noun

Plant Pathology.

a disease of the nightshade family of plants, particularly tobacco and tomato, caused by the tobacco mosaic virus and characterized by mottled leaves and yellowed, necrotic plants.

Etymology

Origin of tobacco mosaic

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The discovery came in the late 1800s, as scientists puzzled over a strange disease called tobacco mosaic disease.

From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2021

Martinus Beijerinck, a Dutch botanist who studied tobacco mosaic virus, speculated in 1898 that it was an infectious liquid.

From National Geographic • Jan. 14, 2021

The two collaborated on the structure of tobacco mosaic virus.

From Nature • Dec. 11, 2018

With Franklin, Dr. Klug worked on the structure of tobacco mosaic virus, a springboard to learning more about molecular structure.

From Washington Post • Nov. 24, 2018

Also aiding our cause was my work on tobacco mosaic virus.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023