the larva of a European moth (Ostrinia nubilalis), now a destructive pest in the U.S., feeding on corn and other plants
corn borer in American English
noun
any of several pyralid moths, as Pyrausta (ostrinia) nubilalis (European corn borer), the larvae of which bore into the stem and crown of corn and other plants
Word origin
[1915–20]This word is first recorded in the period 1915–20. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: conditioning, costar, feedback, markup, stockpile