[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/mayfly/)

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# mayfly

noun (a mayfly, mayflies)

«mayfly» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

A delicate insect with see-through wings and long tails that lives for years as a young nymph in water but, as a flying adult, often lives only a day or less. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mayfly/#m1)

### In the lessons

In science lessons it is a famous example of a short adult life and a life cycle with nymphs; mayfly nymphs in a stream show that the water is clean. In stories and poems it stands for something that lasts a very short time. Phrases: mayfly nymph, as short-lived as a mayfly.

### Examples

- The mayfly lives under water for a year but flies for only one day. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mayfly/#x1)
- We found mayfly nymphs in the stream, so the water was clean. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mayfly/#x2)
- Adult mayflies cannot eat because they have no working mouths. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mayfly/#x3)
- Thousands of mayflies danced above the lake at sunset. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mayfly/#x4)
- Trout love to eat mayflies. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mayfly/#x5)
- Her interest in chess was like a mayfly: gone by the next day. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mayfly/#x6)

### Note

Plural mayflies (y becomes ies). Despite the name, mayflies are not only seen in May. Myth: they do not all live just 24 hours; some adults live a few minutes, others a couple of days.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «mayfly» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mayfly/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«mayfly» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/mayfly.html) on Mova free.