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boll weevil
noun
: a usually grayish or brown weevil (Anthonomus grandis grandis) that feeds on the squares and bolls of the cotton plant
Examples of boll weevil in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
For example, the boll weevil was once the main worldwide threat to cotton.
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 14 May 2010
In the Lone Star State, boll weevil traps with pheromones are set up around fields and along roadsides.
—Mary Beth Gahan, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2022
In memoriam Enterprise, Alabama, has been enterprising in honoring a pest that nearly destroyed the town's economy a century ago: the boll weevil.
—CBS News, 15 Sep. 2022
By the 1970s, one-third of all pesticides applied in the United States were used to fight the boll weevil, according to the USDA.
—Mary Beth Gahan, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2022
But more than a century ago, a small creature – the boll weevil – nearly destroyed this town.
—CBS News, 18 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boll weevil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 10 Jun. 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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