botfly

or bot fly

[ bot-flahy ]

noun

, plural bot·flies.

1. any of several flies of the families Oestridae, Gasterophilidae, and Cuterebridae, the larvae of which are parasitic in the skin or other parts of various mammals.

botfly

/ ˈbɒtˌflaɪ /

noun

1. any of various stout-bodied hairy dipterous flies of the families Oestridae and Gasterophilidae , the larvae of which are parasites of man, sheep, and horses

Word History and Origins

Origin of botfly¹

First recorded in 1810–20; bot ² + fly ¹

Example Sentences

More recently, Jost recalls a trip to Nicaragua that left him with botfly eggs embedded in his legs.

From Washington Post

“And this,” spoke a voice from within the gloom, “is a horse’s stomach that’s been infected with botflies!”

From The Guardian

According to the report’s authors, the case, referred to as myiasis, was unusual for botfly infestation in humans because of the occurrence of two larvae as opposed to the typical one larva.

From Fox News

The animal equivalent would be something like a botfly larva that produced a large, protruding tumor on your body in which it ate, slept, and used the toilet.

From Scientific American

And I was surprised by my reaction: the technology that produced it is amazing, and I’m the person who tries to one-up my editor with disgusting pictures of botflies in Slack.

From The Verge