ichneumon fly

or ich·neu·mon·fly

[ ik-noo-muhn-flahy, ‐nyoo‐ ]

noun

any of numerous wasplike insects of the family Ichneumonidae, the larvae of which are parasitic on caterpillars and immature stages of other insects.

Origin of ichneumon fly

First recorded in 1705–15

Words Nearby ichneumon fly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ichneumon fly in a sentence

What of the infinite goodness of God in teaching the grub of the ichneumon-fly to eat up the cabbage caterpillar alive?
God and my Neighbour | Robert Blatchford
Apparently the ichneumon fly (Ophion obscurum), and not the true sawfly, is meant.
A Thin Ghost and Others | M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James
Many of the caterpillars are destroyed by a little Ichneumon-fly.
American Pomology | J. A. Warder
I examined numbers of them, and found the scarlet egg of the ichneumon fly under many of the shards.
Through the Mackenzie Basin | Charles Mair
A large Ichneumon-fly has been found hunting after the worms, and is considered their natural enemy.
American Pomology | J. A. Warder

British Dictionary definitions for ichneumon fly

ichneumon fly

noun

any hymenopterous insect of the family Ichneumonidae, whose larvae are parasitic in caterpillars and other insect larvae

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

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