mayfly
Noun
- An insect with a short adult life span, found near water.
- slender insect with delicate membranous wings having an aquatic larval stage and terrestrial adult stage usually lasting less than two days
- Any of the many fragile insects of the order Ephemeroptera that develop in fresh water and live very briefly as winged adults.
- Characterized by a short duration; short-lived.
Examples
- His short-lived lead in Words With Friends was as fleeting as a mayfly.
- While some animals take months to reproduce, mayfly need just one perfect day.
Origin / Etymology
From May + fly. Compare Saterland Frisian Moaifljooge (“blowfly”).
Scrabble Score: 17
mayfly: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordmayfly: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
mayfly: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 17
mayfly: valid Words With Friends Word