Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A sweet sticky substance excreted by insects, such as aphids, that feed on plant sap. Honeydew sometimes accumulates on leaves and other plant parts.
- noun A honeydew melon.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A saccharine substance found on the leaves of trees and other plants in small drops like dew.
- noun A kind of chewing-tobacco prepared with molasses.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A sweet, saccharine substance, found on the leaves of trees and other plants in small drops, like dew. Two substances have been called by this name; one exuded from the plants, and the other secreted by certain insects, esp. aphids.
- noun A kind of tobacco moistened with molasses.
- noun A
honeydew melon .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A sweet sticky substance deposited on leaves by insects.
- noun A sweet sticky substance produced by the leaves of some plants.
- noun countable A
melon with sweet green flesh, with a smooth greenish-white exterior. - noun A light bluish green colour, like that of a honeydew
melon . - adjective Of a light bluish green colour, like that of a honeydew
melon .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the fruit of a variety of winter melon vine; a large smooth greenish-white melon with pale green flesh
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The airborne fungal spores infect the young florets before grain development and produce a sweet sticky liquid called honeydew, which is pink or red.
Chapter 10 1981
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I love Magnolia and I do love tuberose; perhaps the apres mousson treatment I can't decide how I feel about the Hermes, once I tried it and it was wonderful, once it was like being smothered by a honeydew is the way to go with some of these flowers without actually suffocating someone with them.
Perfume Review: Eau d'Italie Magnolia Romana Marina Geigert 2008
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Aphids secrete a sugary, high-protein substance called honeydew which some kinds of ants harvest from them.
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The surge in water also made the city's trees healthier, which spawned a population boom among aphids - with their propensity to drip their waste, known as honeydew, onto patios and passersby, they can be almost as annoying as their blood-feasting brethren.
The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed ADRIAN MORROW 2011
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Aphids suck the sap out of plants and excrete a sugary substance called honeydew that makes the leaves sticky.
News 2010
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Aphids suck the sap out of plants and excrete a sugary substance called honeydew that makes the leaves sticky.
News 2010
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Aphids, also from Asia, suck the nutrients from soybean plants and emit a sticky residue called honeydew that can produce leaf mold.
Newsvine - Get Smarter Here Wayne Ortman, Associated Press Writer 2009
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This type of insect also produces a sticky material called honeydew, which may give the tree and leaves a shiny appearance.
unknown title 2009
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The insect deposits waxy tubules of waste as it feeds, and also emits a mist of so-called honeydew that encourages the growth of sooty mold on leaves.
AroundTheCapitol.com 2009
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Some species are even herded by ants that collect the "honeydew" waste product in exchange for protection.
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The pests feed on trees and fruits and excrete waste called “honeydew” that promotes fungal growth – behavior that threatens devastating damage to plants, vineyards and agricultural produce as it prevents photosynthesis.
Kansas boy’s insect entry at state fair wins prize – and triggers federal inquiry Alexandra Villarreal 2021
misterpolly commented on the word honeydew
What a lovely word! I'm pleased to discover what it is. It is used by Coleridge in Kubla Khan: "For he on honewdew hath fed / And drunk the milk of paradise."
December 11, 2007