FIREFLY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does firefly mean? 

• FIREFLY (noun)
  The noun FIREFLY has 2 senses:

1. tropical American click beetle having bright luminous spots

2. nocturnal beetle common in warm regions having luminescent abdominal organs

  Familiarity information: FIREFLY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FIREFLY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Tropical American click beetle having bright luminous spots

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

fire beetle; firefly; Pyrophorus noctiluca

Hypernyms ("firefly" is a kind of...):

elater; elaterid; elaterid beetle (any of various widely distributed beetles)

Holonyms ("firefly" is a member of...):

genus Pyrophorus; Pyrophorus (tropical click beetles)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Nocturnal beetle common in warm regions having luminescent abdominal organs

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

firefly; lightning bug

Hypernyms ("firefly" is a kind of...):

beetle (insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wings)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "firefly"):

glowworm (the luminous larva or wingless grub-like female of a firefly)

Holonyms ("firefly" is a member of...):

family Lampyridae; Lampyridae (fireflies)

 Context examples 

An enzyme first isolated from firefly tails that catalyzes the production of light in the reaction between luciferin and ATP.

(Luciferase, NCI Thesaurus)

The firefly enzyme is a valuable reagent for measurement of ATP concentration.

(Luc Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

The production of light by certain living organisms, including fireflies and phytoplankton, by the conversion of chemical to radiant energy.

(Bioluminescence, NCI Thesaurus)

Some firefly species form spatial wave patterns as they synchronise their flashes with their neighbours.

(Plants can tell time even without a brain, University of Cambridge)

They seemed to swarm over the place all at once, till the lamplight, shining on their moving dark bodies and glittering, baleful eyes, made the place look like a bank of earth set with fireflies.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)