1.
[syn: mealybug, mealy bug]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
mealybug \meal"y*bug`\, mealy bug \mealy bug\
(m[=e]l"[y^]*b[u^]g`), n. (Zool.),
Any of several homopteran scale insects (as, Coccus
adonidum, and related species of the families
Pseudococcidae and Eriococcidae), that cover themselves
with a white powderlike or cottony wax secretion. They are
common plant-eating pests in hothouses and are also
destructive of fruit trees.
[1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
mealybug
n 1: scalelike plant-eating insect coated with a powdery waxy
secretion; destructive especially of fruit trees [syn:
mealybug, mealy bug]