mayfly

[ mey-flahy ]

/ ˈmeɪˌflaɪ /

noun, plural may·flies.

Also called shadfly. any insect of the order Ephemeroptera, having delicate, membranous wings with the front pair much larger than the rear and having an aquatic larval stage and a terrestrial adult stage usually lasting less than two days.

Also May fly. Angling. an artificial fly made to resemble this insect.

Nearby words

Origin of mayfly

First recorded in 1645–55; May + fly²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mayfly

A brace and half of trout on this river in the mayfly week is a very pitiable sight.
Lines in Pleasant Places|William Senior
Very heavy trout are caught in this manner during the mayfly season.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1|Various
"Well, she simply jumped at it like a trout at a mayfly," the man was saying, as I sat wondering where I'd heard the voice before.
The Lightning Conductor|C. N. Williamson
Around it flutter some butterflies; on the right is a lizard, and on the left a Mayfly.
The Standard Galleries - Holland|Esther Singleton

But, alarmed at his own philosophy, he went to the paddock gate to watch the Mayfly filly canter down.
The Forsyte Saga, Volume III.|John Galsworthy

British Dictionary definitions for mayfly

mayfly

/ (ˈmeɪˌflaɪ) /

noun plural -flies

Also called: dayfly any insect of the order Ephemeroptera (or Ephemerida). The short-lived adults, found near water, have long tail appendages and large transparent wings; the larvae are aquatic

angling an artificial fly resembling this

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