drosophila

[ droh-sof-uh-luh, druh- ]

noun,plural dro·soph·i·las, dro·soph·i·lae [droh-sof-uh-lee, druh-]. /droʊˈsɒf əˌli, drə-/.
  1. a fly of the genus Drosophila, especially D. melanogaster, used in laboratory studies of genetics and development.

Origin of drosophila

1
<New Latin <Greek dróso(s) dew + New Latin -phila<Greek -philē, feminine of -philos-phile

Words Nearby drosophila

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use drosophila in a sentence

  • Again, a mutant stock in the fruit fly (drosophila) has as its most marked characteristic very short wings.

    Applied Eugenics | Paul Popenoe and Roswell Hill Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for drosophila

drosophila

/ (drɒˈsɒfɪlə) /


nounplural -las or -lae (-ˌliː)
  1. any small dipterous fly of the genus Drosophila, esp D. melanogaster, a species widely used in laboratory genetics studies: family Drosophilidae. They feed on plant sap, decaying fruit, etc: Also called: fruit fly, vinegar fly

Origin of drosophila

1
C19: New Latin, from Greek drosos dew, water + -phila; see -phile

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for drosophila

drosophila

[ drō-sŏfə-lə ]


  1. Any of various small fruit flies of the genus Drosophila, one species of which (D. melanogaster) is used extensively in genetic research to study patterns of inheritance and the functions of genes.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.