Dictionary.com

black fly

noun

any of the minute, black gnats of the dipterous family Simuliidae, having aquatic larvae.

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We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
owl
crow
piranha
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Also called buffalo gnat.

Origin of black fly

First recorded in 1600–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for black fly

British Dictionary definitions for black fly (1 of 2)

blackfly
/ (ˈblækˌflaɪ) /

noun plural -flies

a black aphid, Aphis fabae, that infests beans, sugar beet, and other plantsAlso called: bean aphid

British Dictionary definitions for black fly (2 of 2)

black fly

noun

any small blackish stout-bodied dipterous fly of the family Simuliidae, which sucks the blood of man, mammals, and birdsSee also buffalo gnat
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

Medical definitions for black fly

black fly

n.

Any of various small dark humpbacked flies of whom the females are aggressive biters and serve as vectors in the transmission of onchocerciasis.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.