mayfly
Also called shadfly . any insect of the order Ephemeroptera, having delicate, membranous wings with the front pair much larger than the rear and having an aquatic larval stage and a terrestrial adult stage usually lasting less than two days.
Also May fly .Angling. an artificial fly made to resemble this insect.
Origin of mayfly
1Words Nearby mayfly
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use mayfly in a sentence
But, alarmed at his own philosophy, he went to the paddock gate to watch the mayfly filly canter down.
The Forsyte Saga, Volume III. | John GalsworthyThe mayfly filly passed under the hammer at seven hundred and fifty guineas.
The Forsyte Saga, Volume III. | John GalsworthyFor these articles the season is almost as brief as the season of the mayfly or the grannom.
Social Origins and Primal Law | Andrew LangIzaak, or his publisher Marriott, cunningly brought out the book at a season when men expect the mayfly.
Andrew Lang's Introduction to The Compleat Angler | Andrew LangThis defect was remedied by a series of alterations, and meanwhile the unofficial title of 'mayfly' was given to the vessel.
A History of Aeronautics | E. Charles Vivian
British Dictionary definitions for mayfly
/ (ˈmeɪˌflaɪ) /
Also called: dayfly any insect of the order Ephemeroptera (or Ephemerida). The short-lived adults, found near water, have long tail appendages and large transparent wings; the larvae are aquatic
angling an artificial fly resembling this
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
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