defoliant

/diːˈfəʊliənt/ (bre, ipa) · /diːˈfəʊliənt/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)dē-ˈfō-lē-ənt/ (ame, mw)

defoliant — noun

  • defoliantsingular
  • defoliantsplural

1. a strong chemical sprayed on trees or other plants so that their leaves quickly

1.名詞C1
釋義

a strong chemical sprayed on trees or other plants so that their leaves quickly die and fall away, used in farming, forestry, and sometimes as a weapon during war

例句

Vikram's grandfather suffered lung problems after handling defoliant in the Vietnam War.

collocation: handle / be exposed to defoliant

The cotton farmers in Texas spray defoliant before sending machines to pick the crop.

collocation: spray defoliant on a crop

同義詞
  • herbicide

    broader; kills the whole plant, not just the leaves

  • Agent Orange

    specific brand name of a defoliant used by the US military in Vietnam

  • desiccant

    technical agricultural term; dries the whole plant before harvest rather than only dropping the leaves

用法筆記

Often appears in military and agricultural reporting; in news writing the word frequently collocates with 'Agent Orange' and 'Vietnam'. Countable in technical writing when referring to different products ('several defoliants were tested'), but mass-noun usage ('exposure to defoliant') is more common in everyday prose.

常見錯誤

❌The gardener used defoliant to make the leaves grow back greener.
✅The gardener used fertilizer to make the leaves grow back greener.
💡defoliant removes leaves; fertilizer helps plants grow.
❌Farmers sprayed defoliant to kill the insects on the corn.
✅Farmers sprayed insecticide to kill the insects on the corn.
💡defoliant targets leaves on plants, not insects.