water flea
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noun
any of various small crustaceans that move about in the water like fleas, as those of the genus Daphnia.
Nearby words
water down, water dropwort, water elm, water feather, water flag, water flea, water for injection, water fountain, water gap, water gas, water gate
Origin of water flea
First recorded in 1575–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for water flea
The water-flea, Daphnia (a crustacean), lays two kinds of eggs known as “summer” and “winter” eggs.
In short, she was a branchiopod, to be vulgarly precise, a water-flea.
"Wee Tim'rous Beasties"|Douglas EnglishI have already spoken of the fresh-water shrimp and the water-flea (Daphnia pulex).
Amateur Fish Culture|Charles Edward Walker
British Dictionary definitions for water flea
water flea
noun
any of numerous minute freshwater branchiopod crustaceans of the order Cladocera, which swim by means of hairy branched antennaeSee also daphnia
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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