sandfly

[ sand-flahy ]

/ ˈsændˌflaɪ /

noun, plural sand·flies.

any of several small, bloodsucking, dipterous insects of the family Psychodidae that are vectors of several diseases of humans.

any of several other small, bloodsucking, dipterous insects, as one of the family Heleidae or Simuliidae.

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Origin of sandfly

First recorded in 1675–85; sand + fly²

Words nearby sandfly

sandek, sander, sanderling, sanderson, sandfish, sandfly, sandfly fever, sandglass, sandgrouse, sandhi, sandhill crane

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for sand fly

sandfly

/ (ˈsændˌflaɪ) /

noun plural -flies

any of various small mothlike dipterous flies of the genus Phlebotomus and related genera: the bloodsucking females transmit diseases including leishmaniasis: family Psychodidae

any of various similar and related flies

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

Medical definitions for sand fly

sand fly

n.

Any of various small biting flies of the genus Phlebotomus of tropical areas, some of which transmit diseases.