Entomopathogen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A microorganism such as a fungus, bacterium, or virus that causes disease in insects and is often used as a biological control agent
2. A pathogenic organism that naturally infects insects and can be employed to manage pest populations in agriculture or other settings
3. A disease-causing microbe that targets insects as hosts and may be utilized for pest suppression without chemical pesticides

Etymology: "Entomopathogen" is a compound built from two Greek-derived parts: "entomo-", from Greek "entomon" meaning "insect" (literally "cut into" or "notched," because insects' bodies seem divided into segments), and "pathogen," from Greek "pathos" meaning "suffering" or "disease" combined with "-gen," meaning "producing" or "generating." Put together, the word describes something that produces disease in insects. The pieces are old, but the compound is a modern technical coinage built from them, so no ancient writer used it. It belongs to the vocabulary of entomology and microbiology, where it names organisms such as certain fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes that infect and kill insects. Because the term is used to describe agents that can be applied to crops or pests, it appears most often in agricultural and pest-control research.

Synonyms: entomopathogenic organism