tobacco mosaic
- noun
- /təˈbækoʊ moʊˈzeɪɪk/
- Specialized
:
mosaico del tabaco
- Farmers must be vigilant against tobacco mosaic, as it can significantly reduce their crop yield.
- tobacco mosaic virus
Examples
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Then there is tobacco mosaic and pests.
Blog text (6) -
It has successfully stopped the tobacco mosaic virus by surrounding the virus with dead cells.
Academic text (1995) -
But if the tobacco plant contracts tobacco mosaic virus, that is the host that can then transmit that to the tomato plant.
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However, scientists soon invented strong electron microscopes with which they could see tobacco mosaic viruses.
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PHOTO (COLOR): Technician Catherine Corr compares a healthy tomato plant (left) to one infected by tobacco mosaic virus (right).
Academic text (1995) -
Photo (color): Molecular biologist S.P. Dinesh-Kumar views the DNA sequence of a newly discovered gene that may enable many plants to resist tobacco mosaic virus.
Academic text (1995) -
The tobacco mosaic virus causes unsightly mottling on the leaves of infected plants.
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When a tobacco plant is infected with tobacco mosaic, its leaves become discolored and grow poorly.
Synonyms
1
7.7
A plant disease that makes leaves show yellow and green patches
How Severe
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound links 'tobacco' with 'mosaic' (a mottled or patterned appearance), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a mosaic-like discoloration affecting tobacco. Although the precise viral cause might not be deduced, the visible symptom (leaf mottling) is directly predictable from the constituents, making the expression compositional and readily interpretable.
Etymology
Tobacco mosaic gets its name from how infected tobacco leaves look: the word mosaic describes a patchwork of light and dark areas on the leaf, like small tiles. A tiny virus makes that patchwork, so today 'tobacco mosaic' means 'a disease that makes leaves look patchy'.