onion thrips
1
9.3
- noun
- /ˈʌnjən θrɪps/
- Specialized
- Farmers monitor their fields regularly for signs of onion thrips infestation.
Examples
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Onion thrips can cause serious crop losses if not properly controlled.
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Onion thrips are also known to damage tobacco crops under certain conditions.
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The onion thrips are damaging my crops.
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Have you seen any onion thrips in the garden?
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Onion thrips are a significant pest that harm onion plants by feeding on their soft tissues.
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Farmers regularly apply treatments to control onion thrips and protect their crops.
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Detecting onion thrips early can help prevent extensive damage to the onion harvest.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A small thin insect with fringed wings that feeds on plant sap and can damage crops
1
9.9
Small thin insects with narrow wings that eat sap and damage plants
A tiny insect that eats onion and sometimes tobacco plants
A small insect that eats and harms onion and tobacco plants
Very small, thin insects that often damage plants like crops
A small insect with a thin body and fringed wings that feeds on plant sap, called a thrips
Very small insects with thin feathery wings that eat plant sap and damage crops
A group of very small insects that often damage plants
A group of tiny insects called thrips with wings that have fine hairs
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound simply names a type of thrips associated with onions: knowing 'onion' (the plant) and 'thrips' (small plant‑damaging insects) lets a learner infer it is the insect that infests onions. This noun+noun naming pattern is highly compositional and cross‑linguistically common, so the meaning is directly derivable.
Etymology
Onion thrips comes from a simple picture: tiny insects called thrips that live on onion plants and feed on them. They suck the plant juices and can damage leaves and bulbs, so the name now means a small 'pest' that harms onion crops.