greenhead

1 9.3

A large greenish fly that bites people near marshes

noun
/ˈɡriːnˌhɛd/

: mosca verde

I could hear the buzzing of a greenhead as it flew past me in the meadow.
greenhead and woodies
greenhead mallard
big greenhead

Examples

The greenhead is already safely away.

Fiction book (1996)
The repetitive creak of the barrow halts as Grayden stops to swat greenhead flies.

Academic text (1994)
While fishing near the marsh, I was unexpectedly bitten by a greenhead fly.
Many hunters eagerly wait for the season to see the greenhead ducks migrate.

Synonyms

deerfly

vsgreenhead

1 7.4

A small biting fly that lands on people and animals to suck blood

is larger in size rather than small

deer fly

vsgreenhead

5.1

A small fly near water that bites people and animals painfully

is larger in size rather than small

Surface Forms

greenhead singular

greenheads plural

Morphology

greenhead = green + head (semi-transparent) = green + head

Formed from 'green' + 'head' where the components are clear, but the lexicalized sense referring to a specific biting fly is specialized and not fully predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Greenhead is made from the common words green and head, because the fly has a bright green head, with 'green' meaning the color and 'head' meaning the front part of the body. So the name helps you remember it is a large, biting fly often found in marshes.