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boll weevil
noun
: a usually grayish or brown weevil (Anthonomus grandis) that feeds on the squares and bolls of the cotton plant
Examples of boll weevil in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Malathion is used widely by farmers, gardeners, and to help eradicate the invasive cotton boll weevil, according to the EPA.
—Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2024
By 1916, the boll weevil infestation had engulfed the entire state, leading to the decimation of nearly two-thirds of Alabama’s cotton crops.
—Dana Shavin, Travel + Leisure, 24 Jan. 2024
White arsenic was a key ingredient for manufacturing boll weevil pesticides.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2023
Rice is often grown in fields formerly used for cotton, whose production involved spraying with cacodylic acid (the dimethyl arsenic compound) to kill boll weevil pests, and then with arsenic acid to kill and desiccate the plant prior to mechanical harvesting.
—Julian Tyson, Discover Magazine, 7 May 2015
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Word History
First Known Use
1879, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near boll weevil
Cite this Entry
“Boll weevil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boll%20weevil. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
boll weevil
noun
: a gray or brown weevil whose larva lives in and feeds on the buds and bolls of the cotton plant
More from Merriam-Webster on boll weevil
Nglish: Translation of boll weevil for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about boll weevil
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