cutworm

[ kuht-wurm ]

/ ˈkʌtˌwɜrm /

the caterpillar of any of several noctuid moths, which feeds at night on the stems of young plants, cutting them off at the ground.

Origin of cutworm

First recorded in 1800–10; cut + worm

cutup, cutware, cutwater, cutwork, cutwork lace, cutworm, cuve, cuvette, cuvier, cuvée, cuxhaven

Because this food source could abruptly disappear at any time, cutworm moths cannot be counted on to replace pine nuts.

What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear |Doug Peacock |November 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And, always, global warming could push the cutworm moths north, out of the park, by heating up the region.

What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear |Doug Peacock |November 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
No cutworm shall get a blighty one from our cherished baccy pouch.

Mince PieAuthor: Christopher Darlington MorleyRelease Date: October 10, 2004 [eBook #13694] |Christopher Darlington Morley
The cutworm is around early in the season ready to cut the flower stalks of the hyacinths.

The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming. |Ellen Eddy Shaw

If a cutworm chances to be fenced in, he will show himself by cutting off a plant.

Soil Culture |J. H. Walden
No, let the cutworm work his will, and let the brown-tailed moth corrupt; I must take refuge in flight, however inglorious.

The Romance of an Old Fool |Roswell Field
The cutworm, the tomato worm, the horn worm, potato beetle and various blights may come to tomatoes.

The Library of Work and Play: Gardening and Farming. |Ellen Eddy Shaw

cutworm

/ (ˈkʌtˌwɜːm) /

the caterpillar of various noctuid moths, esp those of the genus Argrotis, which is a pest of young crop plants in North America