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definitions

syrphid

[sur-fid]
noun
  1. syrphid fly.
adjective
  1. belonging or pertaining to the family Syrphidae.
Also syr·phi·an [sur-fee-uh n] /ˈsɜr fi ən/.

Origin of syrphid

1890–95; < New Latin Syrphidae family name, equivalent to Syrph(us) a genus (< Greek sýrphos gnat) + New Latin -idae -id2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for syrphid

Historical Examples of syrphid

  • As types of the Brachystom we select the Leptid and Syrphid.

    The Insect World

    Louis Figuier

  • The family of the Syrphid includes three remarkable types, which we cannot pass over in silence.

    The Insect World

    Louis Figuier

  • Syrphid and other flies which mimic bees and wasps can readily be found on flowers.

British Dictionary definitions for syrphid

syrphid

noun
  1. any dipterous fly of the family Syrphidae, typically having a coloration mimicking that of certain bees and wasps: includes the hover flies

Word Origin for syrphid

C19: from Greek surphos gnat
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