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potato wart

potato wart

8.2
A disease that makes dark, warty, spongy growths on potatoes
  • noun
  • /pəˈteɪtoʊ wɑrt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : verruga de la papa
  • The inspector found signs of potato wart on several harvested tubers.

Examples

  • Farmers are concerned about potato wart spreading to this region and damaging their crops.

  • The farmer discovered potato wart on several of his crops.

  • Because potato wart is highly contagious, strict quarantine measures were imposed.

  • Have you seen any potato warts in the field?

  • The inspector found signs of potato wart on several harvested tubers.

  • Farmers are concerned about potato wart spreading to this region and damaging their crops.

  • Because potato wart is highly contagious, strict quarantine measures were imposed.

Synonyms

potato disease
vspotato wart
  • Specialized
3.6

An illness that makes potato leaves yellow and tubers rot

is a specific fungal illness producing dark, warty, spongy growths on tubers

Surface Forms

potato wart singular
potato warts plural

Morphology

potato + wart

The compound combines 'potato' and 'wart' in a directly compositional way, indicating a wart-like growth affecting potatoes. A B1 learner who knows both words can reasonably infer this refers to a disease producing warty growths on tubers, so the meaning is transparent.

Etymology

Potato wart gets its name from the way infected potatoes look. The dark, lumpy, wart-like growths on the potato looked like a human wart, so the name came to mean 'a disease that makes bumps on potatoes'.