mealybug

[ mee-lee-buhg ]

noun
  1. any of several scalelike, homopterous insects of the families Pseudococcidae and Eriococcidae that are covered with a powdery wax secretion and feed on plants.

Origin of mealybug

1
First recorded in 1815–25; mealy + bug1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for mealy bug

mealy bug

noun
  1. any plant-eating homopterous insect of the genus Pseudococcus and related genera, coated with a powdery waxy secretion: some species are pests of citrus fruits and greenhouse plants: family Pseudococcidae

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012