Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
tomato yellows

tomato yellows

7.9
A virus infection that makes tomato leaves turn yellow and plants grow slowly
  • noun
  • /təˈmeɪtoʊ ˈjɛloʊz/
  • Specialized
translation icon : amarillamiento del tomate
  • Gardeners should be vigilant for symptoms of tomato yellows, which include leaf yellowing and stunted growth.

Examples

  • The yellowing and curling of leaves indicated that their plants had tomato yellows.

  • If untreated, tomato yellows can cause severe crop losses for farmers.

  • Gardeners are advised to check for signs of tomato yellows during the growing season.

  • The garden was affected by tomato yellows last summer.

  • Have you seen any signs of tomato yellows in your plants?

  • To prevent tomato yellows, it is crucial to monitor your tomato plants regularly.

  • Last year, the farmer lost a significant portion of his crop due to tomato yellows affecting his plants.

Surface Forms

tomato yellows singular
tomato yellows plural

Morphology

tomato + yellow

The phrase is compositionally built from 'tomato' + 'yellow(s)' and follows a common plant-disease naming pattern (e.g. 'wheat rust', 'pea yellows'), so a learner who knows 'tomato' and 'yellow' can infer it refers to a condition causing yellowing of tomato plants. Although somewhat technical, the meaning (yellowing/disease of tomatoes) is directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Tomato yellows comes from the simple image of a tomato plant whose leaves 'turn yellow'. The word yellows is used for plant diseases that make leaves yellow, so the name means a disease that makes tomato leaves yellow and makes the plants grow poorly.