Cutworm
noun
noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The larva of any of the many moths of the family Noctuidae, considered an agricultural pest.
"I listened while they discussed putting stove ash at the base of tomato plants to keep off cutworms or Mama bragged on how fast I was learning to read."
- 2 North American moth whose larvae feed on young plant stems cutting them off at the ground wordnet
Example
More examples"I listened while they discussed putting stove ash at the base of tomato plants to keep off cutworms or Mama bragged on how fast I was learning to read."
Etymology
From cut + worm, from the habit of eating through the stem of plants, or possibly from cutty (“short”).
Related phrases
More for "cutworm"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.