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Glite Dictionary
garden webworm

garden webworm

7.5
A caterpillar that spins webs on garden plants and eats their leaves
  • noun
  • /ˈɡɑrdən ˈwɛbˌwɜrm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : oruga de jardín
  • The garden webworm can quickly defoliate vegetable plants if not controlled.

Examples

  • Farmers use natural predators to keep the garden webworm population in check.

  • The garden webworm is damaging my tomato plants.

  • A severe infestation of garden webworm was found on the lettuce crops this summer.

  • Many garden webworms have infested the flower beds.

  • A severe infestation of garden webworm was found on the lettuce crops this summer.

  • The garden webworm can quickly defoliate vegetable plants if not controlled.

  • Farmers use natural predators to keep the garden webworm population in check.

Synonyms

Loxostege similalis
vsgarden webworm
  • Specialized
9.9

A small moth whose caterpillars eat garden plants and can damage them

is the general larval pest form rather than a named species entry
webworm
vsgarden webworm
8.4

A caterpillar that spins silk webs over leaves while eating them

is the specific larva of one species known as a pest on cultivated plants
webworm moth
vsgarden webworm
8.0

A small insect whose caterpillars make webs on plants and live inside them while eating leaves

is the larval stage that spins webs and feeds within them
webbing moth
vsgarden webworm
9.9

A small moth that makes silk shelters on plants to live and protect its eggs

is specifically the larval pest that spins webs while feeding on plants

Surface Forms

garden webworm singular
garden webworms plural

Morphology

garden + webworm

The compound is directly compositional: 'garden' specifies location/host and 'webworm' denotes a caterpillar that makes webs, so a learner who knows both words can infer this refers to a webworm found in gardens and damaging plants. This follows a common noun+noun compounding pattern that is cross-linguistically transparent and predictable for B1 learners.

Etymology

Garden webworm gets its name from tiny caterpillars that live on garden plants and spin thin webs, and people called them worms because of their long, soft bodies. So, garden webworm means a small caterpillar that makes webs on plants and is a 'pest'.