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Glite Dictionary
dayfly

dayfly

9.2
A small insect with thin wings whose young live in water and adults live less than two days
  • noun
  • /ˈdeɪˌflaɪ/
translation icon : efímera
  • After spending years underwater, the dayfly has just one day to find a mate.

Examples

  • The adult dayfly emerges from the water, living only a few hours to mate and lay eggs.

  • Dayfly eggs?

    Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

  • Some species of dayflies can be seen dancing above the river in the warm afternoon sun.

Synonyms

mayfly
vsdayfly
4 7.5

A small insect with thin wings that lives only a short time as an adult

is an alternative name for the same insect, not a different species
ephemeropteran
vsdayfly
  • Specialized
9.9

An insect like a mayfly that lives only a few hours as an adult

is the everyday term used more in nontechnical speech
shadfly
vsdayfly
9.9

An insect with thin clear wings whose young live in water and adults live only a few days

gives a specific usual duration of under two days for the adult stage

Surface Forms

dayfly singular
dayflies plural

Morphology

dayfly = day + fly (transparent) = day + fly

A straightforward compound of 'day' + 'fly'; the meaning (an insect associated with the day / brief daytime adult life) is directly inferable from the components.

Etymology

Dayfly is made of day ('a 24-hour period') and fly ('a small winged insect'), and it is another name for the mayfly. Because the adult insect lives only a very short time, often just a day, the name reminds us of its brief life.