mayfly

American  

[mey-flahy] / ˈmeɪˌflaɪ /

noun

plural

mayflies

1. 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.

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

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mayfly British  

/ ˈmeɪˌflaɪ /

noun

1. 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

2. angling an artificial fly resembling this

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Etymology

Origin of mayfly

First recorded in 1645–55; May + fly ¹

Example Sentences

He believes there is a direct correlation between sewage discharges and lower numbers of brown trout, grayling and invertebrates - animals without a backbone, including worms, snails and insects such as mayfly.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2021

Crappie are slow due to the mayfly hatch and should return to normal numbers in 2-3 weeks.

From Washington Times • Jul. 8, 2020

But as far as each audience is concerned, it’s also a mayfly.

From Seattle Times • May 8, 2019

The Stroud Water Research Center in Pennsylvania, where Jackson is based, has a long tradition of testing water quality impacts on mayfly larvae.

From Scientific American • Dec. 6, 2018

From the point of view of a mayfly, human beings are stolid, boring, almost entirely immovable, offering hardly a hint that they ever do anything.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan