dragonfly
n.a large insect with a long, thin body and four wings that look like glass. You often see them flying quickly near water like ponds or rivers.
n.a predatory insect of the order Odonata, characterised by a long body, large multifaceted eyes, and two pairs of strong, transparent wings. Typically found near freshwater habitats where they hunt other insects in flight.
“A bright blue dragonfly landed on the leaf.”
“We watched a dragonfly hover over the surface of the pond before darting away at high speed.”
“The fossil record indicates that prehistoric ancestors of the modern dragonfly reached wingspans of over two feet, though their basic physiological structure has remained remarkably consistent over millions of years.”
“As we’ve previously reported , there are more than 400 different species of Cordyceps fungi, each targeting a particular insect species, like ants, dragonflies, cockroaches, aphids, or beetles.”
From dragon + fly. Compare drakefly (“mayfly”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.