Sarcophaga

noun

flesh flies

• Syn: ↑genus Sarcophaga

• Hypernyms: ↑arthropod genus

• Member Holonyms: ↑Calliphoridae, ↑family Calliphoridae

• Member Meronyms: ↑flesh fly, ↑Sarcophaga carnaria

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I. \\särˈkäfəgə\ noun plural

Usage: capitalized

Etymology: New Latin, from sarc- + -phaga

in former classifications : an artificial division of marsupials comprising the Didelphidae and Dasyuridae

II. noun

Usage: capitalized

Etymology: New Latin, from feminine of Latin sarcophagus flesh-eating, from Greek sarkophagos

: the type genus of Sarcophagidae comprising tyical flesh flies

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Sarcophaga /sär-kofˈə-gə/

noun

A genus of flies whose larvae feed on flesh

ORIGIN: Gr sarkophagos flesh-eating, from sarx, sarkos flesh, and phagein (aorist) to eat

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sarcophˈagal adjective

1. Flesh-eating

2. Of or relating to sarcophagi

sarcophˈagous adjective

Feeding on flesh

sarcophˈagus noun (pl sarcophˈagi /-jī or -gī/ or sarcophˈaguses)

1. A limestone used by the Greeks for coffins, thought to consume the flesh of corpses

2. A stone coffin, esp one with carvings

3. A tomb or cenotaph of similar form