Dictionary

deerfly en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈdɪəflʌɪ/ (UK)

Etymology

From deer + fly.

Meanings

1. Any of various species of fly which feed on deer, principally in genus Chrysops.
   • It was not a horsefly and it was not a deerfly; it was bigger than either. 2017, Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 36:
   • When the sun comes out, it is totally delightful, except for the mosquitoes, and the blackflies, and the deerflies. 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 161:
   • The basement was flooded and the couch was growing mildew, so we sat outdoors in the shadows of the trees in a screened tent with deerflies and mosquitoes buzzing outside. 2010, Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Emperor of all Maladies, Fourth Estate, published 2011, page 149:

Forms