dollarspot: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low (specialist term)Technical/Horticultural
Quick answer
What does “dollarspot” mean?
A common fungal disease affecting turfgrass, characterized by small, straw-colored circular patches that resemble coins.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A common fungal disease affecting turfgrass, characterized by small, straw-colored circular patches that resemble coins.
In broader usage, can refer to any small, circular, coin-like mark or blemish on a surface, though this is less common.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Identical technical meaning. The term is used in both varieties but may be more frequent in American English due to the reference to the US dollar. British speakers might occasionally use the synonym 'small brown patch'.
Connotations
Neutral descriptive term in professional contexts.
Frequency
Low frequency in general language; moderate within turf management and gardening communities.
Grammar
How to Use “dollarspot” in a Sentence
The [lawn/grass] has/developed/showed dollar spot.Dollar spot is caused by [Sclerotinia homoeocarpa].To treat/control/manage dollar spot, [action].Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “dollarspot” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The lawn began to dollar-spot after a period of humid weather.
- If you overwater, you risk dollar-spotting the fairways.
American English
- The creeping bentgrass dollar-spotted in early July.
- Poor drainage can dollar-spot a green very quickly.
adjective
British English
- We noticed a dollar-spot outbreak on the eighth green.
- The dollar-spot damage was quite extensive this season.
American English
- A dollar-spot infection can spread rapidly.
- He applied a dollar-spot treatment in the affected areas.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in the horticultural supply, lawn care service, and golf course management industries.
Academic
Found in plant pathology, agronomy, and environmental science texts.
Everyday
Rare; used mainly by gardeners, groundskeepers, and golf enthusiasts.
Technical
Standard term in turfgrass science and integrated pest management (IPM) guidelines.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “dollarspot”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “dollarspot”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “dollarspot”
- Misspelling as 'dollarspot' (should be two words or hyphenated: 'dollar-spot').
- Confusing it with other lawn diseases like 'brown patch' or 'fairy ring'.
- Using it as a general term for any spot, losing the specific horticultural meaning.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, dollar spot is a plant pathogen specific to grasses and poses no direct health risk to humans or animals.
While it can cause significant aesthetic damage and weaken grass, it rarely kills entire lawns. However, severe, untreated infections can lead to large areas of dead turf.
It is caused by the fungus *Sclerotinia homoeocarpa* (now often reclassified within the *Clarireedia* genus). Its development is favored by warm days, cool nights, high humidity, and nitrogen deficiency.
Dollar spot patches are small (coin-sized to 6 inches), straw-colored, and often have an hourglass-shaped lesion on individual grass blades. Brown patch causes larger, circular areas (inches to several feet) of blighted grass with a 'smoke ring' border.
A common fungal disease affecting turfgrass, characterized by small, straw-colored circular patches that resemble coins.
Dollarspot is usually technical/horticultural in register.
Dollarspot: in British English it is pronounced /ˈdɒlə ˌspɒt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈdɑːlɚ ˌspɑːt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specific to this term.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine finding small, bleached-out spots on your lawn, each the size of a silver dollar coin.
Conceptual Metaphor
DISEASE IS A COIN / BLEMISH IS A COIN (The fungal infection manifests as coin-shaped spots.)
Practice
Quiz
What is 'dollar spot' primarily associated with?