Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
-
- [fahyuh r-flahy]
- /ˈfaɪərˌflaɪ/
- /ˈfaɪə.flaɪ/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [fahyuh r-flahy]
- /ˈfaɪərˌflaɪ/
Definitions of firefly word
- noun plural firefly any nocturnal beetle of the family Lampyridae, characterized by a soft body with a light-producing organ at the rear of the abdomen. 1
- noun firefly A soft-bodied beetle related to the glowworm, the winged male and flightless female of which both have luminescent organs. The light is chiefly produced as a signal between the sexes, esp. in flashes. 1
- noun firefly flying insect that glows 1
- countable noun firefly A firefly is a type of beetle that produces light from its body. 0
- noun firefly any nocturnal beetle of the family Lampyridae, common in warm and tropical regions, having luminescent abdominal organs 0
- noun firefly any tropical American click beetle of the genus Pyrophorus, esp P. noctiluca, that have luminescent thoracic organs 0
Information block about the term
Origin of firefly
First appearance:
before 1650 One of the 45% oldest English words
First recorded in 1650-60; fire + fly2
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Firefly
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
firefly popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 91% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
firefly usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for firefly
noun firefly
- fire beetle — any of numerous click beetles of the genus Pyrophorus, of tropical America, having luminous reddish or greenish spots on the body.
- fireworm — the larva of any of several moths, as Rhopobota naevana (black-headed fireworm) which feeds on the leaves of cranberries and causes them to wither.
- glowworm — the wingless female or larva of the European beetle, Lampyris noctiluca, which emits a sustained greenish light.
- lampyrid — any of several beetles of the family Lampyridae, comprising the fireflies.
- lantern fly — any of several large tropical insects of the family Fulgoridae, formerly thought to be luminescent.
Top questions with firefly
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- what makes a firefly glow?
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See also
Matching words
- Words starting with f
- Words starting with fi
- Words starting with fir
- Words starting with fire
- Words starting with firef
- Words starting with firefl
- Words starting with firefly