sheep rot
- noun
- /ʃip rɑt/
- Specialized
- The veterinarian diagnosed the dying sheep with sheep rot after observing damage to the animal's liver.
Examples
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Farmers are advised to monitor their flocks regularly for signs of sheep rot.
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Sheep rot can lead to significant economic losses in areas where liver flukes are common.
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Don't forget to check for sheep rot during your inspections!
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The farmers were worried about sheep rot this season.
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The veterinarian diagnosed the dying sheep with sheep rot after observing damage to the animal's liver.
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Farmers are advised to monitor their flocks regularly for signs of sheep rot.
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Sheep rot can lead to significant economic losses in areas where liver flukes are common.
Synonyms
An illness of the liver in animals like sheep or cattle caused by small flat worms
A disease of sheep and cattle caused by small liver worms causing sudden death and dark skin
An infection of the liver by small worms that affects animals and sometimes people
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward noun compound where 'rot' (decay/disease) is applied to 'sheep', so a learner who knows both words will infer it denotes a damaging disease/rot affecting sheep. While the specific parasitic/liver-fluke etiology is not derivable from the words, the overall sense 'disease/decay in sheep' is directly compositional and analogous to compounds like 'root rot'.
Etymology
Sheep rot may come from old farm language, where rot meant 'decay' or 'to waste away'. Farmers saw sheep grow thin and their livers damaged by small worms, so the name sheep rot came to mean the liver disease that makes sheep 'waste away'.