HORSEFLY

horsefly, cleg, clegg, horse fly

(noun) large swift fly the female of which sucks blood of various animals

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

horsefly (plural horseflies)

Any of several medium to large flies, of the family Tabanidae, that suck the blood of mammals (not to be confused with Stomoxys calcitrans, the stable fly, or dog fly).

Synonyms

• (fly of family Tabanidae): cleg (dialectal), breezefly, gadfly, stoat-fly, stout

Hyponyms

• (individual species or subgroups of the family Tabanidae): deer fly, yellow fly, March fly (Australia), zimb

Anagrams

• floryshe, shore fly

Source: Wiktionary

Horse"fly`, n.; pl. Horseflies (.

1. (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any dipterous fly of the family Tabanidæ, that stings horses, and sucks their blood.

Note: Of these flies there are numerous species, both in Europe and America. They have a large proboscis with four sharp lancets for piercing the skin. Called also breeze fly. See Illust. under Diptera, and Breeze fly.

2. (Zoöl.)

Definition: The horse tick or forest fly (Hippobosca).

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition