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Diptera - 5 dictionary results

Dip⋅ter⋅a

  [dip-ter-uh, -truh]
Use Diptera in a Sentence
–noun
1. the order comprising the dipterous insects.
2. (lowercase) pl. of dipteron.
Origin:
1810–20; < NL < Gk, neut. pl. of dípteros two-winged, equiv. to di- di- 1 + -pteros -pterous

dip⋅ter⋅on

  [dip-tuh-ron]
–noun, plural -ter⋅a  [-ter-uh] .
a dipterous insect.
Origin:
1890–95; < Gk, neut. of dípteros; see Diptera
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Diptera

Dip"te*ra\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? with two wings, di- = di`s- twice + ? feather, wing: cf. F. dipt[`e]re.] (Zo["o]l.) An extensive order of insects having only two functional wings and two balancers, as the house fly, mosquito, etc. They have a suctorial proboscis, often including two pairs of sharp organs (mandibles and maxill[ae]) with which they pierce the skin of animals. They undergo a complete metamorphosis, their larv[ae] (called maggots) being usually without feet.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Main Entry: Dip·tera
Pronunciation: 'dip-t(&-)r&
Function: noun plural
: a large order of winged or rarely wingless insects that have theanterior wings usually functional and the posterior wings reduced to small club-shaped structures functioning as sensory flight stabilizers, that have a segmented larva often without a head, eyes, orlegs, and that include the true flies (as the housefly, mosquitoes, midges, and gnats)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Diptera Dip·ter·a (dĭp'tər-ə)
n.
An order of insects comprising the true flies, characterized by a single pair of membranous wings and a pair of club-shaped balancing organs, and including many important disease vectors such as the mosquito, tsetse fly, and sandfly.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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