phylloxera

noun

phyl·​lox·​e·​ra ˌfi-ˌläk-ˈsir-ə  fə-ˈläk-sə-rə 

: any of several plant lice (family Phylloxeridae)

especially : one (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae synonym Viteus vitifoliae) originally of North America but introduced into Europe and elsewhere that produces galls on the leaves and roots of grape vines and is a serious pest especially of vinifera grapes in wine-producing regions

Examples of phylloxera in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These historic varieties are the grapes that thrived before the phylloxera louse ravaged European vineyards in the late 19th century, nearly destroying the global wine industry. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 27 Oct. 2024

Liber Pater wines are made on a tiny patch of land in the Graves region of Bordeaux, one of the few places unaffected by the phylloxera bacterium that destroyed vineyards across Europe in the mid-19th century. —Matteo Atti, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024

The wines here are grown in the rich volcanic soil and harvested by hand, and the vines are some of the few in the world that escaped the phylloxera blight. —William Leigh, theweek, 9 May 2024

In the late 19th century, Málaga’s fortunes changed, as an outbreak of phylloxera destroyed the region’s vines, and then the economic crisis and war took their toll. —Lisa Johnson, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from phyll- + Greek xēros dry

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above