drosophila

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

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.

Origin of drosophila

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for drosophila

Historical Examples of drosophila

These, like the mutants in Drosophila, are fully equipped at the start.
A Critique of the Theory of Evolution
Thomas Hunt Morgan
The infertility of rudimentary-winged females of Drosophila.
Sex-linked Inheritance in Drosophila
Thomas Hunt Morgan
Further experiments with mutations in eye-color of Drosophila.
Sex-linked Inheritance in Drosophila
Thomas Hunt Morgan
A new eye-color mutation in Drosophila and its mode of inheritance.
Sex-linked Inheritance in Drosophila
Thomas Hunt Morgan
Eight factors that show sex-linked inheritance in Drosophila.
Sex-linked Inheritance in Drosophila
Thomas Hunt Morgan

British Dictionary definitions for drosophila

drosophila

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

Word Origin and History for drosophila

scientific name of a fruit fly, 1829, from Modern Latin (Fallén, 1823), from Greek drosos "dew" + philos "loving" see -phile).

drosophila in Science

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.