crane fly

noun

long-legged slender flies that resemble large mosquitoes but do not bite

• Syn: ↑daddy longlegs

• Hypernyms: ↑dipterous insect, ↑two-winged insects, ↑dipteran, ↑dipteron

• Member Holonyms: ↑Tipulidae, ↑family Tipulidae

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noun

1. : any of numerous long-legged slender two-winged flies (family Tipulidae) that resemble large mosquitoes but do not bite, that produce larvae which usually live in the ground or sometimes in water, and that are destructive to the roots of native and cereal grasses — see range crane fly

2. : any of various flies somewhat similar in form to the crane fly

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—crane-fly, adj.

any of numerous nonbiting insects constituting the family Tipulidae, inhabiting damp areas and resembling a large mosquito with extremely long legs.

[1650-60]

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crane fly UK US noun [countable] [singular crane fly plural crane flies]

a flying insect with very long legs

Thesaurus: types of insect_hyponym parts of insects_meronym

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crane fly,

any one of a group of long-legged flies often confused with a large mosquito.

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n. a slender, two-winged fly with very long legs. The larva of some kinds is the leatherjacket. ● Family Tipulidae: many genera and species, in particular the large and common Tipula maxima

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noun, pl ⋯ flies [count]

Brit : a type of fly that has a long thin body, two wings, and long legs — called also (Brit) daddy longlegs

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ˈcrane fly f13 [crane fly] (also informal ˌdaddy-ˈlong-legs) noun

a flying insect with very long legs

See also: ↑daddy-long-legs