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Glite Dictionary
crown wart

crown wart

9.9
A fungal disease of alfalfa that causes white growths at the base of the stem
  • noun
  • /kraʊn wɔrt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : verruga de corona
  • Researchers are developing new alfalfa varieties that are resistant to crown wart.

Examples

  • Crops infected with crown wart often display stunted growth and reduced yields.

  • The agricultural extension office provided brochures about preventing crown wart in alfalfa fields.

  • The alfalfa field was affected by crown wart.

  • Farmers are concerned about crown warts in their crops.

  • Crops infected with crown wart often display stunted growth and reduced yields.

  • Researchers are developing new alfalfa varieties that are resistant to crown wart.

  • The agricultural extension office provided brochures about preventing crown wart in alfalfa fields.

Surface Forms

crown wart singular
crown warts plural

Morphology

crown + wart

The element 'wart' denotes a small growth and 'crown' can refer to the plant crown (the base/top junction of stem and roots), so the phrase literally describes growths on the plant's crown. However, a B1 learner may not know the botanical sense of 'crown' or that 'wart' is used metaphorically for plant lesions, so the exact disease meaning is only partially predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Crown wart is named for how the disease looks on alfalfa: the crown is the 'base of the stem' and the white growths look like warts, so people called those spots a 'wart' at the crown. That's why crown wart means 'a disease that makes small growths at the plant base'.