mildew Definition
mil·dew (mil′do̵̅o̅′, -dyo̵̅o̅′)
noun
- a thin, furry, usually whitish coating or discoloration, caused by a fungus, that forms on the surface of various plants, on organic matter, or on damp paper, cloth, bathroom tiles, etc.
- any fungus that attacks various plants or that produces such a coating or discoloration
- any plant disease, as powdery mildew, caused by such fungus
Etymology: ME mildewe < OE meledeaw, nectar, lit., honeydew, akin to Goth milith, honey < IE base *melit- (> L mel, Gr meli, honey) + base of OE deaw, dew
transitive verb, intransitive verb
to affect or become affected with mildew
mildew Related Forms
mil′·dew′y adjective
mildew Synonyms
mildew Synonyms
mildew Usage Examples
Converse of object
- prevent: You could try a vinegar rinse round your apt a couple of times a week to prevent any mildew from growing.
- cause: We can also remove mold and mildew caused by flood damage or leaky sun roofs.
- control: Chemical control Organic gardeners can use sulfur dust to control powdery mildews.
- include: Dr. Hannah Jones from The Eden Project, Cornwall, whose interests include powdery mildew.
- get: Do you ever get mildew on your plants, i never have before, but my pansies this year have some on.
- resist: Thus, synthetics which resist mildew compete favorably with cotton in making sails for boats or shower curtains.
Adjective modifier
- powdery: Each species of powdery mildew affects only specific types of plant.
- downy: Lettuce variety mixtures were used to investigate their value for control of downy mildew.
Modifies a noun
- fungus: Changes in the nomenclature of some powdery mildew fungi.
- resistant: Disease and Pest Resistance: Mildew resistant, but susceptible to gall mite and leaf curling midge.
- resistance: Enhancement of barley mildew resistance using yeast cell wall extracts.
- infection: Figure 1: Powdery mildew infection of sour cherry ( cv.
- symptom: Figure 1. Typical powdery mildew symptom caused by P. phaseoli on cowpea leaf.
- population: Mildew of Barley There has been little change in the barley mildew populations in the UK in recent years.
Noun used with modifier
- barley: Barley mildew isolates continue to become more complex, the majority carrying eight or more virulence factors.
- wheat: A small number of isolates of wheat mildew was tested for sensitivity to fenpropimorph.
- cereal: In, Integrated control of cereal mildews: virulence patterns and their change.
- gooseberry: American gooseberry mildew The damage: Leaves and sometimes fruit develop a powdery white coating.
Preposition: in
barley: Detection of tolerance to powdery mildew in spring barley.
Preposition: of
barley: Variety Diversification Schemes for 1992 The schemes for mildew of barley and yellow rust of wheat have been updated for 1992.

