Colorado potato beetle
1
7.0
- noun
- /ˈkɒləˌrædoʊ pəˈtoʊtəʊ ˈbiːtəl/
- US
:
escarabajo de la patata de Colorado
- control Colorado potato beetles
Examples
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Colorado potato beetles, which devour foliage on potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants, resist most insecticides.
Academic text (1994) -
The Colorado potato beetle lays clusters of yellow eggs on the underside of the leaves of potato plants.
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In a couple of days, a Colorado potato beetle infestation can totally defoliate potatoes.
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As a whole, about 40% of the insecticides that were applied were for Colorado potato beetle control.
Synonyms
1
4.8
A black and yellow beetle that eats potato plants
1
5.7
A black and yellow beetle that eats potato leaves
1
7.5
A small insect with black and yellow stripes that eats potato leaves and harms crops
A black and yellow beetle that eats potato leaves
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'beetle' (an insect) modified by 'potato' (the host plant) and the place name 'Colorado', so its meaning — a beetle associated with potatoes (originally from Colorado) — can be directly derived from the parts. This place + noun + noun naming pattern is common in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows each constituent would readily infer the referent.
Etymology
Colorado potato beetle comes from a clear picture: a striped beetle found near Colorado that eats potato leaves. So the name means the 'pest' insect that eats potato plants.