Mayfly

Quick meaning: Mayfly is a noun meaning Any of the many fragile insects of the order Ephemeroptera that develop in fresh water and live very briefly as winged adults.

Meaning

Any of the many fragile insects of the order Ephemeroptera that develop in fresh water and live very briefly as winged adults.

More Meanings

1. (attributive, figurative) Characterized by a short duration; short-lived.

Example Sentences

While some animals take months to reproduce, mayfly need just one perfect day.

[A] silver fish clooped a lazy arc downstream, not really caring that the mayfly were out of reach; […]

Mayflies are fragile, gossamer-winged insects that arise from bodies of water and often swarm in great numbers.

Dipping a French fry in her tomato ketchup, she admits that her name recognition could be higher. But it did spike a year ago during the mayfly premiership of Liz Truss.

Word Forms

• mayflies

Synonyms for mayfly

Depending on context, synonyms include drake, ephemera, ephemerid, fishfly.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include volatile, perishable, fleeting, transient, ephemeral, short-lived.

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