greenfly

American

[green-flahy] / ˈgrinˌflaɪ /

noun

plural

greenflies

an aphid, Coloradoa rufomaculata, that is an important pest of chrysanthemums.

greenfly British

/ ˈɡriːnˌflaɪ /

noun

a greenish aphid commonly occurring as a pest on garden and crop plants

"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

Etymology

Origin of greenfly

First recorded in 1680–90; green + fly ¹

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.

Each summer, wasps in the UK capture about 14 million kilogrammes of insects such as caterpillars and greenfly, making them important friends to gardeners.

From BBC

Social wasps are predators and as such they play a vital ecological role, controlling the numbers of potential pests like greenfly and many caterpillars.

From BBC

Aphids - such as greenfly and blackfly - damage plants by sucking nutrients from their sap, and can also introduce plant viruses.

From BBC

Each of these bumps contain lenses, which work together to form a greenfly's eye.

From The Verge

From a greenfly's eye, to a curved human spine - they showcase the best in science imaging techniques.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023