Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
mayonnaise
mayor
mayoralty
mayordomo
Mayotte
maypole
maypop
mayst
mayweed
mazaltov
Mazatlán
Mazdaism
mazdoor
maze
mazeltov
mazer
mazourka
Click to move down the list of words
Also available:

World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

mayfly

may·fly [ máy fl ] (plural may·flies)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. short-lived insect: an insect that lives as an adult for only a few days, typically having two or four pairs of flimsy wings and two or three long slender tail appendages. The female lays her eggs in fresh water, where the larvae develop without a chrysalis stage. Order Ephemeroptera.

2. fishing fly: a fishing fly that looks like a mayfly

[Mid-17th century. < the mistaken belief that they appear only in May]
Advertisement

© 2009 Microsoft