pea louse
- noun
- /piː laʊs/
:
pulgón de guisante
- The use of natural predators can help control the spread of pea louse in organic gardens.
Examples
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Gardeners often inspect pea plants for signs of pea louse infestation.
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The farmer lost much of his crop to pea louse damage last season.
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The pea louse damages crops significantly.
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Farmers often struggle with pea lice in the summer.
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Gardeners often inspect pea plants for signs of pea louse infestation.
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The farmer lost much of his crop to pea louse damage last season.
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The use of natural predators can help control the spread of pea louse in organic gardens.
Synonyms
A small insect like an aphid that sucks juices from plants
A small insect that sucks sap from plants
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small insect that infests pea plants' is directly and compositionally derived from 'pea' (the plant) modifying 'louse' (a small insect), following a straightforward modifier + head noun pattern. This kind of noun–noun compound is cross-linguistically common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Pea louse is a simple name that tells the story: it means a small louse living on a pea plant. Because these tiny insects sit on peas and eat them, the name now means a small insect that infests pea plants and is a 'pest'.
