dipterous

American  

[dip-ter-uhs] / ˈdɪp tər əs /

adjective

1. Entomology. belonging or pertaining to the order Diptera, comprising the houseflies, mosquitoes, and gnats, characterized by a single, anterior pair of membranous wings with the posterior pair reduced to small, knobbed structures.

2. Botany. having two winglike appendages, as seeds or stems.

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dipterous British  

/ ˈdɪptərəs /

adjective

1. Also: dipteran.  of, relating to, or belonging to the Diptera, a large order of insects having a single pair of wings and sucking or piercing mouthparts. The group includes flies, mosquitoes, craneflies, and midges

2. botany having two winglike parts

   a dipterous seed

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Other Word Forms

• nondipterous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of dipterous

1765–75; < New Latin dipterus < Greek dípteros; see Diptera, -ous

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dipterous

Gnat, nat, n. a genus of dipterous insects of numerous species, esp. abundant in marshy districts—the female lives on the blood of animals.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

Cran′age, the use of a crane: the price paid for the use of it; Crane′-fly, a genus of dipterous insects, nearly allied to the gnats, with very long legs.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Sepsis, sep′sis, n. putridity, rot: a genus of dipterous insects.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Extended notes on various dipterous larvæ infesting man.

From Insects and Diseases A Popular Account of the Way in Which Insects may Spread or Cause some of our Common Diseases by Doane, Rennie Wilbur

For′ester, one who has charge of a forest: an inhabitant of a forest; For′est-fly, a dipterous insect sometimes called Horse-fly, from the annoyance it causes horses.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various