white rust
- noun
- /waɪt rʌst/
- Specialized
:
óxido blanco
- White rust, which originated in eastern Asia, is a serious pest affecting garden and pot mums.
Examples
-
The plant was infested with white rust, leaving a noticeable white powder on its leaves.
-
When gardeners see white rust, they know they need to treat their plants promptly to stop the spread.
-
To avoid losing their crops, farmers must be vigilant for white rust on their mustard fields.
How Severe
300
4.6
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
5
3.1
- Specialized
180
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound simply combines 'white' (a color) with 'rust' (a plant disease), so the meaning — a rust-type disease that appears white or as a white powdery mass — is directly derivable from its parts. Color + disease is a straightforward compositional pattern and is likely understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
White rust is named after the white, dusty patches fungi make on leaves. Because these spots look like rust on metal but white, the name came to mean 'a plant disease with white powdery growth'.