defoliant
(dɪˈfəʊlɪənt)
[f. defoliate v. + -ant1.]
A chemical used to cause defoliation.
| 1943 N.Y. Herald Tribune 7 Nov. 6 A cotton crop sprinkled with a specially prepared defoliant to make machine picking easier was harvested recently. 1956 Nature 3 Mar. 417/2 Research on the use of herbicides, arboricides and defoliants in East Africa. 1963 Guardian 1 May 8/5 The defoliants..are widely used by farmers. 1967 Punch 1 Mar. 302/2 The most powerful technological nation in the world has deployed its invention in massive weight; from 70,000-ton attack carriers, through flying headquarters equipped with computers, to defoliants for stripping the jungle of concealing vegetation. |