botfly

American  

[bot-flahy] / ˈbɒtˌflaɪ /

Or bot fly

noun

plural

botflies

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.

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botfly British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of botfly

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

Example Sentences

Gravid botfly females apparently catch mosquitos on the wing and then lay their eggs on the mosquito’s body.

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2011

There are about as many ways to get rid of botfly larvae as people you talk to.

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2011

In scientific journals as well as the lay press, the botfly has been widely publicized as the fastest thing on earth.

From Time Magazine Archive

Dr. Langmuir set out to debunk the botfly; last week he published his findings in Science.

From Time Magazine Archive

But with this other, this man whose pale eyes shifted and darted like a botfly around a horse’s ear, could she drink his counsel and remain undefiled?

From The Bondboy by Ogden, George W. (George Washington)