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sand fly

sand fly

2 6.6
A small insect that bites people in warm places and can spread disease
  • noun
  • /sænd flaɪ/
translation icon : mosca de arena
  • The only way to contract leishmania parasites is through the bite of the tiny sand fly.
  • sand fly bite
  • diseases carried by sand flies

Examples

  • The disease is spread by the female sand fly and primarily occurs in impoverished areas

    Blog text (23)
  • PHOTO (COLOR): Engorged sand fly (about 2 cm long).

    Academic text (2005)
  • let the sand flies get us?

  • You get bit by a teeny sand fly over there, and...

  • PHOTO (COLOR): Cutaneous leishmaniasis, a skin form of the disease transmitted by sand flies.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Sand flies, the vectors of leishmaniasis, will be supplied from colonies at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland.

    Academic text (2005)
  • They are studying polymers and mechanical dispensers that would permeate the closed environment of a tent or vehicle, preventing mosquitoes or sand flies from entering.

    Academic text (2005)
  • PHOTO (COLOR): U.S. Army preventive medicine personnel treat uniforms with permethrin to ward off mosquitoes, sand flies, and other small insect pests.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The bite of a sand fly can transmit serious diseases like leishmaniasis.

  • While hiking in warm climates, I noticed a sand fly buzzing around me.

Synonyms

sandfly
vssand fly
1 7.1

A tiny fly that bites people and can spread disease in warm places

is the variant written as two separate words rather than one

How Dangerous

mosquito
70 1.0
sand fly
2 6.6
biting midge
  • Specialized
8.6
gnat
16 1.3
housefly
4 1.3

Surface Forms

sand fly singular
sand flies plural

Morphology

sand + fly

The compound 'sand fly' composes 'sand' (habitat/association) + 'fly' (insect) to denote a type of fly associated with sandy or soil environments; a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer it refers to a particular kind of fly. Specific attributes (bloodsucking, disease transmission) are not fully predictable from the parts, but the basic referent is compositionally transparent and common across languages.

Etymology

Sand fly gets its name from where the insect lives: tiny flies often found in sandy soil or on beaches, so people simply joined sand and fly to name them. Because the female 'bite' can spread disease, sand fly now means those small bloodsucking insects that can make people sick.