anthracnosis
|an-thra-co-no-sis|
🇺🇸
/ˌænθrəˈkoʊnəsɪs/
🇬🇧
/ˌænθrəˈkəʊnəsɪs/
coal-like (dark) lesions: plant fungal disease
Etymology
'anthracnosis' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'ἄνθραξ (anthrax)', where 'anthrax' meant 'coal', combined with the Greek suffix '-osis' meaning 'disease' or 'condition'.
'anthracnosis' changed from New Latin 'anthracnōsis' (used in botanical/medical Latin) and was adopted into modern English as 'anthracnosis'.
Initially related to the idea of 'coal-like' (dark) lesions ('coal') combined with a disease suffix, and over time it came to denote the specific group of fungal plant diseases producing dark, sunken spots.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a group of fungal diseases of plants characterized by dark, sunken or necrotic lesions on leaves, stems, fruits, or flowers; commonly caused by fungi in genera such as Colletotrichum or Gloeosporium.
The apple orchard was severely affected by anthracnosis, resulting in leaf spots and fruit rot.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/25 03:26