any of various small slender-bodied insects of the order Thysanoptera, typically having piercing mouthparts and narrow feathery wings and feeding on plant sap. Some species are serious plant pests
Word origin
C18: via New Latin from Greek: woodworm
thrips in American English
(θrɪps)
nounWord forms: pluralthrips
any of an order (Thysanoptera) of very small, destructive, usually winged insects that suck the juices of plants