drosophila

[ droh-sof-uh-luh, druh- ]

/ droʊˈsɒf ə lə, drə- /

noun, plural dro·soph·i·las, dro·soph·i·lae [droh-sof-uh-lee, druh-] /droʊˈsɒf əˌli, drə-/.

a fly of the genus Drosophila, especially D. melanogaster, used in laboratory studies of genetics and development.

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Origin of drosophila

< New Latin < Greek dróso(s) dew + New Latin -phila < Greek -philē, feminine of -philos -phile

Words nearby drosophila

dropwort, drosera, droshky, drosky, drosometer, drosophila, dross, drossy, droste-hülshoff, drought, droughty

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for drosophila

There are at least two such systems among the factors in the first chromosome in Drosophila.
Sex-linked Inheritance in Drosophila|Thomas Hunt Morgan
We find this same process of interchange of characters taking place in each of the other three groups of Drosophila.
A Critique of the Theory of Evolution|Thomas Hunt Morgan
Two sex-linked lethal factors in Drosophila and their influence on the sex-ratio.
Sex-linked Inheritance in Drosophila|Thomas Hunt Morgan
Additional data for the study of sex-linked inheritance in Drosophila.
Sex-linked Inheritance in Drosophila|Thomas Hunt Morgan

Dilution effects and bicolorism in certain eye-colors of Drosophila.
Sex-linked Inheritance in Drosophila|Thomas Hunt Morgan

British Dictionary definitions for drosophila

drosophila

/ (drɒˈsɒfɪlə) /

noun plural -las or -lae (-ˌliː)

any small dipterous fly of the genus Drosophila, esp D. melanogaster, a species widely used in laboratory genetics studies: family Drosophilidae. They feed on plant sap, decaying fruit, etcAlso called: fruit fly, vinegar fly

Word Origin for drosophila

C19: New Latin, from Greek drosos dew, water + -phila; see -phile

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

Scientific definitions for drosophila

drosophila

[ drō-sŏf′ə-lə ]

Any of various small fruit flies of the genus Drosophila, one species of which (D. melanogaster) is used extensively in genetic research to study patterns of inheritance and the functions of genes.