ˈst(y)üə(r)ts- noun
Usage: usually capitalized S
Etymology: after Fred Carlton Stewart died 1946 American plant pathologist
: a disease especially of sweet corn that is caused by a bacterium of the genus Erwinia ( E. stewartii ) transmited over the winter by the corn flea beetle and that is characterized by wilting, stunting, leaf necrosis, and premature death of affected plants