Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A small aphidlike insect (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) that feeds on the roots of grapevines and sometimes forms galls on the leaves, causing severe damage to grape crops.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A genus of plant-lice or homopterous insects of the family Aphididæ and. subfamily Chermesinæ, usually of gall-making habits.
- noun [lowercase] A member of this genus, especially the species just named, known as the grape-vine phylloxera and vine-pest, the worst enemy of the European or vinifera grape.
- noun A genus of lepidopterous insects
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) A small hemipterous insect (
Phylloxera vastatrix ) allied to the aphids. It attacks the roots and leaves of the grapevine, doing great damage, especially in Europe. - noun The diseased condition of a vine caused by the insect just described.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun An
aphid , of the genus Phylloxera, that is very destructive togrape vines - noun The diseased condition of a vine caused by this aphid.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun type genus of the Phylloxeridae: plant lice
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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In the 19th century, a plague of insects called phylloxera decimated the vines used to grow wine grapes in Europe.
Blessing the Garden Susan Palwick 2009
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These galls are caused by small insects known as phylloxera, which are closely related to aphids, or plant lice.
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In 1863 it partially recovered, under the free use of sulphur; but now it has been ravaged by the more dangerous phylloxera, which is spreading far faster than Mr. Henry Vizetelly supposes.
To the Gold Coast for Gold A Personal Narrative in Two Volumes.—Volume I Richard Francis Burton 1855
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Read More Drinking Now: Synchronicity Its downfall came in the form of two fungal diseases that ripped through the vineyards—first oidium, which at the height of its powers, effects grape ripening; followed by phylloxera, a root-feeding aphid that destroys vines.
The Grape of Good Hope Will Lyons 2011
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Following the phylloxera outbreak in 1918, the Co-operative Wine Growers Association KWV was created to help protect the Cape's wine industry by setting minimum prices and limiting production.
The Grape of Good Hope Will Lyons 2011
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The effects of the vine-eating louse phylloxera and the construction of the Paris-to-Marseilles railway line in the mid-19th century, which opened Paris up to wines from farther afield, conspired to hit its production.
The Draw of Chablis Will Lyons 2011
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It was actually one of the first regions in Spain to experience mass-production in the 19th century, when its proximity to Barcelona and the French market whose wine industry was struggling under devastating effects of the vine-eating louse phylloxera provided a ready market for its wine.
Iberia's Hidden Gems Will Lyons 2011
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Prum sees the massive bridge and roadway project as the biggest threat to the area since the great, late-19th century phylloxera insect epidemic that ravaged European vineyards.
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Disaster hit 100 years ago in the form of the phylloxera insect pest that spread from mainland Europe and wiped out production, until a group of local farmers revived the tradition in the 1990s by importing vines from Italy.
Mapping Mallorca 2010
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Disaster hit 100 years ago in the form of the phylloxera insect pest that spread from mainland Europe and wiped out production, until a group of local farmers revived the tradition in the 1990s by importing vines from Italy.
Mapping Mallorca 2010
mollusque commented on the word phylloxera
Bithynios had never been a big village, but in 1922 it was smaller than ever. People had begun to leave in 1913, when the phylloxera blight ruined the currants.
--Jeffrey Eugenides, 2002, Middlesex, p. 28
August 6, 2008
ruzuzu commented on the word phylloxera
See citation on wine.
February 3, 2011