dragonfly
/ˈdɹæɡənˌflaɪ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.03 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An insect of the suborder Epiprocta or, more strictly, the infraorder Anisoptera, having four long transparent wings held perpendicular to a long body when perched.
Example Sentences
- "There were two dragonflies in the garden today."
- "The delicate coloured Dragon Flies may have likewise some Corrosive quality."
- "The sapphire needled dragonflies That flirt with the crested newt! And now before his newtly nose, […]"
- "Stacey Combes, who studies the biomechanics of dragonfly flight at Harvard, once watched a laboratory dragonfly eat 30 flies in a row."
- "As the airboat skimmed across the shallow water, scattering blue dragonflies and launching a heron into the air, Keith Price squinted into the sun and relished the isolation of Florida’s unrivaled river of grass."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *derḱ-der. Proto-Hellenic *dérkomai Ancient Greek δέρκομαι (dérkomai) Ancient Greek δράκων (drákōn)der. Latin dracōslbor. Old French dragonbor. Middle English dragoun English dragon Proto-Indo-European *plew- Proto-Indo-European *plewk- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *pléwketi Proto-Germanic *fleuganądeverb. Proto-Germanic *fleugǭ Proto-West Germanic *fleugā Old English flēoge Middle English flye English fly English dragonfly From dragon + fly. Compare drakefly (“mayfly”).
Inflected Forms
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
adderbolt
battimamselle
darner
darning needle
devil's darning needle
devil's needle
dining needle
ear sewer
horse-stinger
mosquito fly
mosquito hawk
needle