mayfly

[ mey-flahy ]

/ ˈmeɪˌflaɪ /

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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.

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Origin of mayfly

First recorded in 1645–55; May + fly¹

Words nearby mayfly

Mayfield, Mayfield Heights, mayfish, Mayflower, Mayflower compact, mayfly, mayhap, mayhappen, May-Hegglin anomaly, mayhem, Mayhew

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use mayfly in a sentence

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
The Mayfly filly passed under the hammer at seven hundred and fifty guineas.
The Forsyte Saga, Volume III.|John Galsworthy
For these articles the season is almost as brief as the season of the mayfly or the grannom.
Social Origins and Primal Law|Andrew Lang
Izaak, or his publisher Marriott, cunningly brought out the book at a season when men expect the Mayfly.
Andrew Lang's Introduction to The Compleat Angler|Andrew Lang

This defect was remedied by a series of alterations, and meanwhile the unofficial title of 'Mayfly' was given to the vessel.
A History of Aeronautics|E. Charles Vivian

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