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pear blight

pear blight

8.2
A disease that makes leaves on pear and apple trees turn black and wilt
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : muerte de perales
  • The farmer noticed the pear blight spreading through his orchard, causing the leaves to blacken and wilt.

Examples

  • Other contributions by the younger Berckmans to the Cultivator included articles on strawberries, evergreens, pear blight, and hybridity in fruit.

    Academic text (2015)
  • For example, he reported on pear blight in 1873 and on new fruits in 1879.

    Academic text (2015)
  • After diagnosing the pear blight, the gardener took immediate action to save the affected trees from further damage.

  • Experts warned that untreated pear blight could lead to the loss of entire crops in the following season.

Synonyms

fire blight
vspear blight
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A serious disease caused by bacteria that makes apple and pear shoots and flowers turn black and die

affects mainly leaves causing blackening and wilting rather than whole branches or blossoms

Antonyms

1.0

The condition of a person's body and mind, especially being free from illness or injury

29 4.3

Energy and liveliness that make a person or thing seem active

How Severe

fire blight
  • Specialized
1 7.7
pear blight
  • Specialized
8.2
dieback
  • Specialized
1 8.8
canker
  • Specialized
1 8.5

Surface Forms

pear blight singular
pear blights plural

Morphology

pear + blight

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'pear' (the host species) with 'blight' (a plant disease): it names a disease affecting pear trees. This noun-noun composition is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common way to label host-specific plant diseases, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it.

Etymology

Pear blight comes from a plant sickness that made the leaves and fruit of a pear tree go black and die. People used the word blight for this sudden damage, so pear blight now means a serious 'disease' that quickly harms pear trees.