blight / blīt/ • n. a plant disease, esp. one caused by fungi such as mildews, rusts, and smuts: the vines suffered blight and disease. ∎  inf. anything that causes a plant disease or interferes with the healthy growth of a plant. ∎  [in sing.] a thing that spoils or damages something: her remorse could be a blight on that happiness. ∎  an ugly, neglected, or rundown condition of an urban area: the depressing urban blight that lies to the south of the city.• v. [tr.] (usu. be blighted) infect (plants or a planted area) with blight: a peach tree blighted by leaf curl. ∎  spoil, harm, or destroy: the scandal blighted the careers of several leading politicians [as adj.] (blighted) his father's blighted ambitions. ∎  [usu. as adj.] (blighted) subject (an urban area) to neglect: plans to establish enterprise zones in blighted areas.

blight disease in plants, as mildew; baleful influence, orig, on plants, XVII (also blite). perh. for earlier *blēht, repr. formally OE. blæċðu, blæċð(rust), rel. to blæċe (all applied to skin diseases), and further to BLEACH.

blight Yellowing, browning, and withering of plant tissues caused by various diseases; alternatively, the diseases themselves. Blights may be caused by microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, or by environmental factors such as drought. Common blights induced by microorganisms include fire, bean, late, and potato blight. They typically affect leaves more severely than other parts.

blight A non-specific term applied to any of a wide range of unrelated plant diseases. The causal agent is usually a fungus. See (for example) POTATO BLIGHT.

blight A non-specific term applied to any of a wide range of unrelated plant diseases. The causal agent is usually fungus-like. See (for example) potato blight.