drosophila

American  

[droh-sof-uh-luh, druh-] / droʊˈsɒf ə lə, drə- /

noun

plural

drosophilas, drosophilae

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

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drosophila British  

/ drɒˈsɒfɪlə /

noun

1. Also called: fruit fly.   vinegar fly.  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, etc

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drosophila Scientific  

/ drō-sŏf′ə-lə /

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of drosophila

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

Example Sentences

“The pervasiveness of the spotted wing drosophila has threatened the livelihoods of fruit farmers across the country.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 13, 2023

It has been said, not least by Collier, that more is known about the biology of the drosophila than any other animal on Earth.

From The Guardian • Sep. 25, 2016

Where is the line between the primates we all like and rats most of us don't, or even drosophila none of us, except for perhaps Jains, cares about?

From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2016

Female spotted wing drosophila deposit their eggs right into the berries, meaning Siders has to spray insecticides often to prevent crop loss.

From Washington Times • Jul. 30, 2016

Take that staple of genetics research, drosophila – aka the fruit fly.

From Scientific American • Oct. 1, 2012