damselfly

Questions

How do you pronounce damselfly?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdæmzəlflaɪ/.

What does damselfly mean?

Any of various insects of the suborder Zygoptera that have long slender bodies, and are similar to dragonflies but having wings folded when at rest.

Where does damselfly come from?

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dem- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dṓmder. Proto-Italic *domanos Latin dominus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin dominicus Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lus Latin -ellus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂ Proto-Italic *-ā Latin -a Vulgar Latin *dominicella Vulgar Latin *domnicella Old French domnizelle Old French damoiselebor. Middle English dameisele English damsel 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 damselfly From damsel + fly, where damsel ultimately from Vulgar Latin *domnicella (whence also French demoiselle, Portuguese donzelinha). Compare Danish vandnymfe, Dutch juffer, Swedish jungfruslända, Welsh mursen. Also compare ladybird, ladybug, nymph.

How to pronounce damselfly

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “damselfly”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdæmzəlflaɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “damselfly”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “damselfly” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.