| hessian | Of or relating to Hesse, in Germany, or to the Hessians. Hessian boots, or Hessians, boot of a kind worn in England, in the early part of the nineteenth century, tasseled in front. Hessian cloth, or Hessians, a coarse hempen cloth for sacking. Hessian crucible. See Crucible. <zoology> Hessian fly, a small dipterous fly or midge (Cecidomyia destructor). Its larvae live between the base of the lower leaves and the stalk of wheat, and are very destructive to young wheat; so called from the erroneous idea that it was brought into America by the Hessian troops, during the Revolution. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|