mirid bug
- noun
- /ˈmɪrɪd bʌg/
- Specialized
:
insecto mirido
- The farmer discovered several mirid bugs among the tomato plants in his greenhouse.
Examples
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Damage to the cotton crop was later traced back to an infestation of mirid bugs.
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Many mirid bugs can damage crops if not controlled.
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Researchers study how mirid bugs affect the health of different garden plants.
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The mirid bug is often found on tomato plants.
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The farmer discovered several mirid bugs among the tomato plants in his greenhouse.
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Damage to the cotton crop was later traced back to an infestation of mirid bugs.
-
Researchers study how mirid bugs affect the health of different garden plants.
Synonyms
623
1.0
A small insect like an ant or beetle
1
6.7
A small bright insect that feeds on plant juices, often on leaves
A small bug that lives on plants and often eats their leaves
A small bright insect that feeds on the juice inside plants
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward noun-noun compound where 'mirid' names a type of plant-feeding insect and 'bug' denotes a small insect, so the full meaning ('a plant-feeding insect of the Miridae') is directly derivable from the constituents. Such taxonomy-style compounds are cross-linguistically common and thus should be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Mirid bug comes from the family name Miridae used by scientists and basically means a small 'leaf bug'. The parts mirid and bug make a clear picture: a tiny insect living on leaves and eating plants, so the name reminds you it is a small plant-feeding insect.