Adelges

noun

Adel·​ges
ə-ˈdel-(ˌ)jēz
: a genus of aphids related to phylloxerans and feeding chiefly on spruce and balsam on which they often cause damaging and unsightly galls
adelgid
ə-ˈdel-jəd
adjective or noun

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, probably extracted from Phytadelges, proposed division of hemipteran insects, from phyt- phyto- + adelg- (perhaps erroneously for Greek amélgein "to milk, extract" + Greek -ēs, adjective suffix

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Adelges was in 1837

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Cite this Entry

“Adelges.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Adelges. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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