scorpionfly

American

[skawr-pee-uhn-flahy] / ˈskɔr pi ənˌflaɪ /

Or scorpion fly

noun

any of several harmless insects of the order Mecoptera, the male of certain species having a reproductive structure that resembles the sting of a scorpion.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

scorpionflies

plural

Etymology

Origin of scorpionfly

First recorded in 1660–70; scorpion + fly ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For the female scorpionfly: an extremely large, glittering, nutrient-laced ball of spit, equivalent to 5 percent to 10 percent of a male fly’s body mass.

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023