housefly

Definition

Any fly regularly found in human dwellings.

Etymology

From house + fly. Cognate with Dutch huisvlieg (“housefly”), Danish husflue (“housefly”), Swedish husfluga (“housefly”), Faroese húsfluga (“housefly”).

Example Sentences

• "Of the three potential means (carriage on the body and legs, regurgitation and defecation) by which houseflies can transmit pathogens, one involves passage through the gut. During passage through the housefly, pathogens may replicate within the gut."
• "In the housefly, M. domestica, sex pheromone production is correlated with egg development."
• "Houseflies are known to carry at least 100 different pathogens and they are vectors for at least 65 of these."