dieback
nounEtymology Deverbal from die back.
1
Biology, Botany, Medicine, Natural sciences, Pathology, Phytopathology, Sciences The browning and death of a plant shoot starting at the tip, due to either disease or climate conditions.
- The National Trust reports that 30,000 ash trees on its land will have been felled this year owing to ash dieback. “Dieback” sounds like a gentle, seasonal withdrawal. In fact, ash dieback is a devastating disease caused by a fungus, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, likely to have been carried into the UK on imported ash saplings in the early part of this century.2021 December 12, “The Guardian view on ash dieback: a tiny chink of hope”, in The Guardian:
- Derived terms
- ash dieback, citrus dieback
- Related terms
- die back