epiphytotic
- adjective
- /ˌɛpɪfaɪˈtɒtɪk/
- Specialized
- The late blight of potatoes in the 1840s was an epiphytotic that devastated crops across Ireland.
Examples
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The epiphytotic spread of rust fungus prompted farmers to alter their planting patterns.
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Researchers are studying new methods to predict epiphytotic outbreaks in monoculture fields.
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The disease is epiphytotic!
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Don't ignore epiphytotic signs!
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Researchers are studying new methods to predict epiphytotic outbreaks in monoculture fields.
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The epiphytotic spread of rust fungus prompted farmers to alter their planting patterns.
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The late blight of potatoes in the 1840s was an epiphytotic that devastated crops across Ireland.
Antonyms
How Widespread
- Specialized
42
4.0
- Specialized
232
3.6
34
7.0
- US
33
4.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
epiphytotic = epiphytosis (opaque) = epi + phyto + otic
Built from Greek combining forms (epi- + phyto-) and the technical adjective suffix -otic; the components are not standalone English words and the meaning is specialized, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning.
Etymology
The word epiphytotic comes from Greek parts epi- meaning 'upon', phyto- meaning 'plant', and the ending -otic meaning 'disease'. So, an epiphytotic is like an epidemic for plants, a disease that spreads quickly across many plants.