noun
insects having usually a single pair of functional wings (anterior pair) with the posterior pair reduced to small knobbed structures and mouth parts adapted for sucking or lapping or piercing
• Syn: ↑dipterous insect, ↑two-winged insects, ↑dipteran
• Hypernyms: ↑insect
• Hyponyms:
↑gall midge, ↑gallfly, ↑gall gnat, ↑fly, ↑robber fly, ↑bee killer, ↑fruit fly, ↑pomace fly, ↑louse fly, ↑hippoboscid, ↑mosquito, ↑gnat, ↑fungus gnat, ↑sciara, ↑sciarid, ↑crane fly, ↑daddy longlegs
• Member Holonyms: ↑Diptera, ↑order Diptera
* * *
a dipterous insect.
[1890-95; < Gk, neut. of dípteros; see DIPTERA]
Useful english dictionary. 2012.