Wheat \Wheat\ (hw[=e]t), n. [OE. whete, AS. hw[=ae]te; akin to
OS. hw[=e]ti, D. weit, G. weizen, OHG. weizzi, Icel. hveiti,
Sw. hvete, Dan. hvede, Goth. hwaiteis, and E. white. See
White.]
(Bot.)
A cereal grass (Triticum vulgare) and its grain, which
furnishes a white flour for bread, and, next to rice, is the
grain most largely used by the human race.
Note: Of this grain the varieties are numerous, as red wheat,
white wheat, bald wheat, bearded wheat, winter wheat,
summer wheat, and the like. Wheat is not known to exist
as a wild native plant, and all statements as to its
origin are either incorrect or at best only guesses.
Buck wheat. (Bot.) See Buckwheat.
German wheat. (Bot.) See 2d Spelt.
Guinea wheat (Bot.), a name for Indian corn.
Indian wheat, or Tartary wheat (Bot.), a grain
(Fagopyrum Tartaricum) much like buckwheat, but only
half as large.
Turkey wheat (Bot.), a name for Indian corn.
Wheat aphid, or Wheat aphis (Zo["o]l.), any one of
several species of Aphis and allied genera, which suck the
sap of growing wheat.
Wheat beetle. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) A small, slender, rusty brown beetle (Sylvanus
Surinamensis) whose larv[ae] feed upon wheat, rice, and
other grains.
(b) A very small, reddish brown, oval beetle (Anobium
paniceum) whose larv[ae] eat the interior of grains of
wheat.
Wheat duck (Zo["o]l.), the American widgeon. [Western U.
S.]
Wheat fly. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Wheat midge, below.
Wheat grass (Bot.), a kind of grass (Agropyrum caninum)
somewhat resembling wheat. It grows in the northern parts
of Europe and America.
Wheat jointworm. (Zo["o]l.) See Jointworm.
Wheat louse (Zo["o]l.), any wheat aphid.
Wheat maggot (Zo["o]l.), the larva of a wheat midge.
Wheat midge. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) A small two-winged fly (Diplosis tritici) which is very
destructive to growing wheat, both in Europe and America.
The female lays her eggs in the flowers of wheat, and the
larv[ae] suck the juice of the young kernels and when
full grown change to pup[ae] in the earth.
(b) The Hessian fly. See under Hessian.
Wheat moth (Zo["o]l.), any moth whose larv[ae] devour the
grains of wheat, chiefly after it is harvested; a grain
moth. See Angoumois Moth, also Grain moth, under
Grain.
Wheat thief (Bot.), gromwell; -- so called because it is a
troublesome weed in wheat fields. See Gromwell.
Wheat thrips (Zo["o]l.), a small brown thrips (Thrips
cerealium) which is very injurious to the grains of
growing wheat.
Wheat weevil. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) The grain weevil.
(b) The rice weevil when found in wheat.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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