any small moth of the chiefly temperate family Tortricidae, the larvae of which live concealed in leaves, which they roll or tie together, and are pests of fruit and forest trees: includes the codling moth
adjective
2.
of, relating to, or belonging to the family Tortricidae
Word origin
C19: from New Latin Tortrīcidae, from tortrix, feminine of tortor, literally: twister, referring to the leaf-rolling of the larvae, from torquēre to twist
tortricid in American English
(ˈtɔrtrɪsɪd)
noun
any of a family (Tortricidae) of small, broad-bodied moths whose larvae feed on the leaves of shrubs and trees: the larvae of some species roll and fasten leaves together to form nests