firefly

[fahyuhr-flahy] Origin

fire·fly

[fahyuhr-flahy]
noun, plural fire·flies.
any nocturnal beetle of the family Lampyridae, characterized by a soft body with a light-producing organ at the rear of the abdomen.
Also called glowfly, lightning bug.
Compare glowworm.


Origin:
1650–60; fire + fly2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Firefly is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Collins
World English Dictionary
firefly (ˈfaɪəˌflaɪ)
 
n , pl -flies
1.  See also glow-worm any nocturnal beetle of the family Lampyridae, common in warm and tropical regions, having luminescent abdominal organs
2.  any tropical American click beetle of the genus Pyrophorus, esp P. noctiluca, that have luminescent thoracic organs

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

firefly
1650s, from fire + fly.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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