sawfly

[ saw-flahy ]

/ ˈsɔˌflaɪ /

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noun, plural saw·flies.

any of numerous hymenopterous insects of the family Tenthredinidae, the female of which has a sawlike ovipositor for inserting the eggs in the tissues of a host plant.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of sawfly

First recorded in 1765–75; saw¹ + fly¹

Words nearby sawfly

sawdust trail, sawdusty, sawed-off, sawed-off shotgun, sawfish, sawfly, saw grass, sawhorse, saw log, sawm, sawmill

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

How to use sawfly in a sentence

Apparently the ichneumon fly (Ophion obscurum), and not the true sawfly, is meant.
A Thin Ghost and Others|M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James
It would be difficult to find any obvious connexion between music and the Giant Sawfly.
The Romance of Plant Life|G. F. Scott Elliot
Enemies: The larch is subject to the attacks of a sawfly, which has killed many trees of the American species.
Studies of Trees|Jacob Joshua Levison
With this instrument the female sawfly cuts a slit in the stem or leaf of a plant, into which she introduces her egg.
On the Origin and Metamorphoses of Insects|Sir John Lubbock

These sawfly larvae need looking after and can be killed by spraying.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the|Various

British Dictionary definitions for sawfly

sawfly

/ (ˈsɔːˌflaɪ) /

noun plural -flies

any of various hymenopterous insects of the family Tenthredinidae and related families, the females of which have a sawlike ovipositor

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