Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. See firefly.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A firefly or phosphorescent beetle of the family Lampyridæ, related to the European glow-worms. Two common species are Pyractomena angulata and P. borealis. The genera Phengodes, Zarhipis, Microphotus, and Pleotomus have more or less wingless, degraded, larviform females, which are luminous in abdominal patches. The males of the same genera are winged, and resemble the common lightningbugs, giving a more or less intense flash-light. Another lightning-bug of the eastern United States is Photuris pennsylvanica, about half an inch long, of a yellowish color with a few ill-defined lines of black or brown; both sexes have wings and long elytra, and the luminous larva has a brush-like anal leg. A third species, common in parts of the Mississippi valley, is Photinus pyralis, which has blackish-brown elytra margined with pale yellow, and a yellow prothorax with a central black spot. The two last-named belong to the subfamily Lampyrinæ.
Wiktionary
- n. Another name for the firefly.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) a luminous beetle. See Firefly.
WordNet 3.0
- n. nocturnal beetle common in warm regions having luminescent abdominal organs
Examples
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Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘lightning bug’.
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beetles
beetles
anobiid, beetle, bookworm, borer, bruchid, buprestid, cadelle, canegrub, cantharid, cantharis, carabid, chafer and 117 more...
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Things that might glow in the dark
glowworm, lightning bug, firefly, Vibrio fischeri, radium dial, Hawaiian bobtail ..., railroad worm, foxfire, distant cities, Cherenkov radiation, Wint-O-Green Life..., glow sticks and 50 more...
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More Light!
light, lamp, Betty lamp, lightbulb, floor lamp, lantern, candle, gas mantle, Davy lamp, Geordie lamp, limelight, spotlight and 50 more...
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Animals (besides pottos)
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robin, wagtail, frog, bunny, pronk, rabbit, fur, badger, mouse, bee, crepuscular, purr and 140 more...
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Words Covered in Faery Dust (L)
words that evoke magic, mystery, mayhem, magnificence or anything else that glimmers in the grass
labyrinth, lace, lad, lady fingers, lagoon, lamb, lament, lammas, lantern, larkspur, lass, lauds and 92 more...
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Benandanti
All things Light
aureole, aura, aurora borealis, aglow, lucent, lambent, radiant, bright, burn, fire, solstice, brazier and 94 more...
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words that make me happy
christmas, kate, glitter, sparkle, ice, icicle, snow, polar, aurora borealis, northern lights, skylight, fairy lights and 71 more...
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Y'all come back now!
Words that remind me of Grandma's.
mosquito, kudzu, potluck, mud, famous, county, honey, sugar, sweetie, reckon, loblolly, bakelite and 15 more...
Tweets
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treeseed See firefly Feb 23, 2008