dipterous
Americanadjective
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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.
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Botany. having two winglike appendages, as seeds or stems.
adjective
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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
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botany having two winglike parts
a dipterous seed
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dipterous
1765–75; < New Latin dipterus < Greek dípteros; see Diptera, -ous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Jaw-capsule: contains the mouth structures in those dipterous larvae in which the head is differentiated.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.
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
It was November, a season of heavy dipterous mortality.
From The Vertical City by Hurst, Fannie
Metapneustic: larva, chiefly dipterous, in which the spiracles are confined to the posterior segment.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
