black fly
noun
any of the minute, black gnats of the dipterous family Simuliidae, having aquatic larvae.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
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?
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
The blackfly and mosquito attack both man and beast in maddening millions.
Animal Sanctuaries in Labrador|William Wood
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.