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dobsonfly
[ dob-suhn-flahy ]
/ ˈdɒb sənˌflaɪ /
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noun, plural dob·son·flies.
a large, soft-bodied insect, Corydalus cornutus, having four distinctly veined membranous wings, biting mouthparts, and, in the male, huge mandibles that jut out from the head.
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Compare hellgrammite.
Origin of dobsonfly
1900–05; after surname Dobson;see fly1
Words nearby dobsonfly
Dobrich, Dobro, Dobruja, Dobrynin, dobson, dobsonfly, Dobsonian telescope, Dobu, Dobuan, dobutamine hydrochloride, doby
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for dobsonfly
dobsonfly
/ (ˈdɒbsənˌflaɪ) /
noun plural -flies
US and Canadian a large North American neuropterous insect, Corydalis cornutus: the male has elongated horn-like mouthparts and the larva (a hellgrammite or dobson) is used as bait by anglers: suborder MegalopteraSee also hellgrammite
Word Origin for dobsonfly
C20: origin uncertain, perhaps after the surname Dobson
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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