blight

English

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps from Middle English *bleighte, *bleȝte, from Old English blǣcþa (“leprosy”) (related to Old English blǣċo (“paleness, leprosy”) and blǣċe (“an itching skin-disease”)); or from Old Norse blikna (“to grow pallid”). Related to bleak.

Pronunciation

• enPR: blīt, IPA^(key): /blaɪt/
• Rhymes: -aɪt
• Homophone: blite

Noun

blight (countable and uncountable, plural blights)

1. (phytopathology) Any of many plant diseases causing damage to, or the death of, leaves, fruit or other parts.
2. The bacterium, virus or fungus that causes such a condition.
3. (by extension) Anything that impedes growth or development or spoils any other aspect of life.

Derived terms

• blighten

Hyponyms

• alder blight
• American blight
• aphis-blight
• apple blight
• bean blight
• beet blight
• blister blight
• cane blight
• celery blight
• chestnut blight
• coffee blight
• collar blight
• early blight
• fire blight
• fireblight
• frictional blight
• functional blight
• fusarium ear blight
• fusarium head blight
• green blight
• halo blight
• head blight
• kernel blight
• late blight
• leaf blight
• moth blight
• needle blight
• northern corn-leaf blight
• northern leaf blight
• oak blight
• peach blight
• pear blight
• pine blight
• planning blight
• potato blight
• rim blight
• sandy blight
• seedling blight
• southern blight
• Sphaeropsis blight
• spinach blight
• spur blight
• stamen blight
• stem blight
• stripe blight
• thread blight
• tomato blight
• twig blight
• urban blight
• walnut blight

 

Derived terms

• blight-beetle
• blight bird
• blight canker
• blighted
• blight in the eye
• blighty

 

Translations

plant disease

• Bulgarian: главня (bg) f (glavnja), ръжда (bg) f (rǎžda)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 枯萎病 (zh)

• Finnish: polte (fi), rutto (fi)
• French: fléau (fr) m, rouille (fr) f, cloque (fr) f
• Latin: ūrēdō f, rōbīgō f
• Maori: mahaki, paraiti, kōmae
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: ожо́г (ru) m (ožóg), ми́лдью (ru) n (míldʹju)
• Scottish Gaelic: gaiseadh m
• Spanish: mildiu m, tizón (es) m
• Telugu: తెగులు (te) (tegulu)

agent of this disease

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

anything that impedes growth or spoils something

• Bulgarian: вредител (bg) m (vreditel)
• Finnish: vitsaus (fi), jonkin pilaaja
• French: fléau (fr)
• German: Geißel (de) f, Seuche (de) f, Plage (de) f, Heimsuchung (de) f, Übel (de) n
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingue:
• Italian: rovina (it) f
• Russian: вреди́тель (ru) m (vredítelʹ)
• Spanish: mal (es) m, plaga (es) f

Verb

blight (third-person singular simple present blights, present participle blighting, simple past and past participle blighted)

1. (transitive) To affect with blight; to blast; to prevent the growth and fertility of.
   • Woodward

     [This vapour] blasts vegetables, blights corn and fruit, and is sometimes injurious even to man.

2. (intransitive) To suffer blight.

   This vine never blights.

3. (transitive) To spoil or ruin (something).

   Those obscene tattoos are going to blight your job prospects.

   • Byron

     seared in heart and lone and blighted

   • 1869 May, Anthony Trollope, “Lady Milborough as Ambassador”, in He Knew He Was Right, volume I, London: Strahan and Company, […], →OCLC, page 81:

     I need hardly explain to you that if you persist in this refusal you and I cannot continue to live together as man and wife. All my hopes and prospects in life will be blighted by such a separation.

Derived terms

• blighter
• blighting
• blightingly

 

Translations

to cause to suffer blight

• French: abîmer (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingue:

to suffer blight

• French: être abîmé (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingue:

to spoil or ruin (something)

• Bulgarian: повреждам (bg) (povreždam), разстройвам (bg) (razstrojvam), развалям (bg) (razvaljam)
• Finnish: pilata (fi), turmella (fi)
• French: abîmer (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: beschädigen (de), ruinieren (de), verderben (de), vernichten (de), zerstören (de)
• Italian: rovinare (it)
• Russian: вреди́ть (ru) (vredítʹ), разруша́ть (ru) (razrušátʹ)