In this paper, we show that it is possible to recognize the significance of the Uruguayan wine phylloxera in the late nineteenth century through the analysis of different forms and linguistic processes. We analyze the articles, notes and letters published in the Revista de la Asociación Rural del Uruguay, as well as articles that were published in newspapers of that time. This analysis allows us to propose that this name appears repeatedly, that it is a productive lexical base and is used in various constructions, which reflected a rural reality for which solutions were not found and that caused a lot of concern.