sawfly

American  

[saw-flahy] / ˈsɔˌflaɪ /

noun

sawflies plural

1. 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.

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sawfly British  

/ ˈsɔːˌflaɪ /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• sawflies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sawfly

First recorded in 1765–75; saw ¹ + fly ¹

Example Sentences

"Also, I could mention sawfly larvae that lived in leaves and created tunnels in them as they ate their way through the thin layer of the leaf interior."

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023

When it does snow, it melts in a few days, and drought conditions have allowed the hemlock sawfly, which feeds on the foliage, to thrive.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2023

About now in the Northeast, you may witness the geometrically patterned larvae of the dogwood sawfly chewing on Cornus foliage.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2022

Of all these small burrowers, the voracious shrews find and consume the largest number of sawfly cocoons.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

The Slug-worm is so called from the similarity of the larva of this sawfly to a small black slug.

From The Book of Pears and Plums by Bartrum, Edward