onion louse
- noun
- /ˈʌnjən laʊs/
- Specialized
:
pulgón de cebolla
- If left untreated, the onion louse can cause significant damage to both onions and tobacco plants.
Examples
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The farmer discovered an infestation of onion louse in his crop, threatening the harvest.
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Applying organic pesticides helped control the spread of the onion louse in the field.
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The onion louse damaged my entire crop.
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I found an onion louse on my plant yesterday.
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If left untreated, the onion louse can cause significant damage to both onions and tobacco plants.
-
The farmer discovered an infestation of onion louse in his crop, threatening the harvest.
-
Applying organic pesticides helped control the spread of the onion louse in the field.
Synonyms
A small insect that eats onion plants and sometimes tobacco, damaging crops
A tiny insect that eats onion and sometimes tobacco plants
A small insect like an aphid that sucks juices from plants
A small insect that sucks sap from plants
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small insect harmful to onion plants' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'onion' (the vegetable) with 'louse' (a small sap-sucking insect), i.e. a louse associated with onions. This literal, compound naming pattern for pests is common and cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Onion louse comes from the simple image of a small louse living on an onion plant and feeding on it. That's why the name means 'a tiny pest that damages onion plants and sometimes tobacco'.
