the.com/herbicide
Chemistry's way of telling weeds the garden has assigned seating.
means A chemical substance used to kill unwanted plants, especially weeds.
from Built like its grim cousins pesticide and insecticide, from Latin herba ('grass, plant, herb') plus the suffix -cide, from caedere ('to kill' or 'to cut down'). The word itself entered English use in the 20th century as agricultural chemistry scaled up — the vocabulary of lawns and farms borrowing the same Latin skeleton used for homicide and suicide.
- origin
- Latin for plant killer, unapologetically literal
- irony
- Many target plants, but spare superweeds that evolve resistance
- selectivity
- Some kill broadleaf plants, leave grass completely unharmed
- agent orange
- A herbicide once weaponized, not just garden-variety