BOTFLY

botfly

(noun) stout-bodied hairy dipterous fly whose larvae are parasites on humans and other mammals

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

botfly (plural botflies)

One of several dipterous insects of the family Oestridae, the larvae of which are parasites on many animals, including humans.

Synonyms

• oestrus

Source: Wiktionary


Bot"fly`, n. (Zoöl.)

Definition: A dipterous insect of the family (Estridæ, of many different species, some of which are particularly troublesome to domestic animals, as the horse, ox, and sheep, on which they deposit their eggs. A common species is one of the botflies of the horse (Gastrophilus equi), the larvæ of which (bots) are taken into the stomach of the animal, where they live several months and pass through their larval states. In tropical America one species sometimes lives under the human skin, and another in the stomach. See Gadfly.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

30 April 2024

NURSE

(verb) treat carefully; “He nursed his injured back by lying in bed several hours every afternoon”; “He nursed the flowers in his garden and fertilized them regularly”


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Coffee Trivia

Contrary to popular belief, coffee beans are not technically beans. They are referred to as such because of their resemblance to legumes. A coffee bean is a seed of the Coffea plant and the source for coffee. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit, often referred to as a cherry. Just like ordinary cherries, the coffee fruit is also a so-called stone fruit.

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