firefly
UK /ˈfaɪ.əˌflaɪ/ · US /ˈfaɪ.ɚˌflaɪ/ noun, proper noun
Forms fireflies fire-fly
- noun (Northern US, Western US, Florida) Any beetle of the family Lampyridae, which exhibit bioluminescence during twilight.
- proper noun A locality in the MidCoast council area, eastern New South Wales, Australia.
Synonyms
lightning beetle lightning bug glow fly fire beetle Pyrophorus noctiluca
Etymology
Endocentric compound of fire + fly, because the insects glow; whence also lightning bug. Compare glow fly, glowworm, and lanternfly.
Compare typologically Ancient Greek λαμπυρίς (lampurís, “glowworm”) (<+ πῦρ (pûr)).
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “firefly”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details