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sandfly

sandfly

1 7.1
A tiny fly that bites people and can spread disease in warm places
  • noun
  • /ˈsændflaɪ/
translation icon : mosquito de arena
  • After being bitten several times, I discovered that the sandfly can transmit various diseases.

Examples

  • Included were a couple who had picked up bot fly infections, a woman with a cyst in her brain caused by tapeworms, a man who contracted a sandfly parasite in Greece, and a prison officer who lost his lower legs and fingers from a malarial infection contracted in the Gambia.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Leishmaniasis is a disease that has been present since as early as 900 AD, transmitted by the bite of sandflies.

    Blog text (21)
  • The life cycle of the pathogenic Leishmania spp. involves sandflies, rodents, and dogs.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Swallows, sandflies, and robins are making their debuts, and pine pollen is affecting people as never before.

    Blog text (29)
  • This is the remote hump on Australia's back, the tip of the Northern Territory, a place of ghost stories, sandflies, burning brush, termite mounds, and saltwater crocodiles.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The sandfly is known for causing itchy bites, especially in tropical regions.

  • In warm climates, the sandfly population can increase rapidly, posing health risks to locals.

Synonyms

sand fly
vssandfly
2 6.6

A small insect that bites people in warm places and can spread disease

is written as one word rather than two for the same insect
Phlebotomus papatasii
vssandfly
  • Specialized
9.9

A small sand fly whose females bite people and can spread leishmaniasis

refers broadly to similar flies across regions rather than one species
Phlebotomus
vssandfly
  • Specialized
9.9

A small sand fly that drinks blood and can spread disease

is the general term for such flies without the scientific grouping

Compounds

sandfly fever
  • Specialized
7.5

A mild illness caused by a virus spread by sand fly bites that causes fever and muscle pain

Surface Forms

sandfly singular
sandflies plural

Morphology

sandfly = sand + fly (transparent) = sand + fly

Direct compound of 'sand' + 'fly' referring to a type of fly associated with sandy habitats; the meaning is directly inferable from the components.

Etymology

Sandfly is simply made from sand and fly, meaning a 'fly' that lives near 'sand'. So, sandfly today means a very small, biting fly from warm, sandy places that drinks blood and can sometimes spread disease.