fruit fly
Americannoun
-
any of numerous small dipterous insects of the family Tephritidae, the larvae of which feed on the fruit of various plants.
noun
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any small dipterous fly of the family Trypetidae , which feed on and lay their eggs in plant tissues See also gallfly
-
any dipterous fly of the genus Drosophila See drosophila
Etymology
Origin of fruit fly
First recorded in 1745–55
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.
The study also demonstrates the value of fruit fly models for studying neurological diseases, including age-related conditions, Zhai noted.
From Science Daily
Even more strikingly, fruit flies genetically engineered to carry the same four naked mole-rat-specific mutations in human cGAS lived longer than flies with the normal version of the enzyme.
From Science Daily
He led the experimental work, using high-speed microscopy to capture footage of the needle-tip-sized worms launching themselves toward electrically charged fruit flies.
From Science Daily
Other familiar model organisms include mice, fruit flies and baker's yeast.
From BBC
That gene makes the gut of the female about 20% bigger than the gut in male fruit flies, and makes the female more prone to tumors by activating proteins that cause cell division.
From Salon
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.
