Cutworm

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Cutworm \Cut"worm`\ (-w?rm`), n. (Zool.)
     A caterpillar which at night eats off young plants of
     cabbage, corn, etc., usually at the ground. Some kinds ascend
     fruit trees and eat off the flower buds. During the day, they
     conceal themselves in the earth. The common cutworms are the
     larv[ae] of various species of {Agrotis} and related genera


     of noctuid moths.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Caterpillar \Cat"er*pil`lar\, n. [OE. catyrpel, corrupted fr.
     OF. chatepelouse, or cate pelue, fr. chate, F. chatte,
     she-cat, fem. of chat, L. catus + L. pilosus hairy, or F.
     pelu hairy, fr. L. pilus hair. See {Cat}, and {Pile} hair.]
     1. (Zool.) The larval state of a butterfly or any
        lepidopterous insect; sometimes, but less commonly, the
        larval state of other insects, as the sawflies, which are
        also called false caterpillars. The true caterpillars have
        three pairs of true legs, and several pairs of abdominal
        fleshy legs (prolegs) armed with hooks. Some are hairy,
        others naked. They usually feed on leaves, fruit, and
        succulent vegetables, being often very destructive, Many
        of them are popularly called worms, as the {cutworm},
        {cankerworm}, {army worm}, {cotton worm}, {silkworm}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Bot.) A plant of the genus {Scorpiurus}, with pods
        resembling caterpillars.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Caterpillar catcher}, or {Caterpillar eater} (Zool.), a bird
        belonging to the family of Shrikes, which feeds on
        caterpillars. The name is also given to several other
        birds.
  
     {Caterpillar hunter} (Zool.), any species of beetles of the
        genus {Callosoma} and other allied genera of the family
        {Carabid[ae]} which feed habitually upon caterpillars.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  cutworm
       n : North American moth whose larvae feed on young plant stems
           cutting them off at the ground