thrips n 1: any of various small to minute sucking insects with narrow feathery wings if any; they feed on plant sap and many are destructive [syn: {thrips}, {thrip}, {thripid}]
Thrips \Thrips\, n. [L., a woodworm, Gr. ?.] (Zool.) Any one of numerous small species of Thysanoptera, especially those which attack useful plants, as the grain thrips ({Thrips cerealium}). [1913 Webster] Note: The term is also popularly applied to various other small injurious insects. [1913 Webster]