bluebottle

noun

blue·​bot·​tle ˈblü-ˌbä-tᵊl How to pronounce bluebottle (audio)
1
2
: any of several blowflies (genus Calliphora) that have the abdomen or the whole body iridescent blue in color and that make a loud buzzing noise in flight

Examples of bluebottle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
So, Cheng and colleagues used high-speed video to capture and analyze more than 20 bluebottle flies (Calliphora vomitoria), known for their exquisite maneuvers, sticking their inverted landings in a flight chamber. Stephenie Livingston, Science | AAAS, 23 Oct. 2019 Instead there's crumpled napkins, unclaimed pens, forgotten umbrellas, a half-empty Coke bottle and a solitary bluebottle fly out of a Raymond Chandler novel. Kenneth Turan, latimes.com, 17 May 2018

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bluebottle was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near bluebottle

Cite this Entry

“Bluebottle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bluebottle. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

bluebottle

noun
blue·​bot·​tle -ˌbät-ᵊl How to pronounce bluebottle (audio)
: any of several blowflies with a shiny blue abdomen or body

Medical Definition

bluebottle

noun
blue·​bot·​tle ˈblü-ˌbät-ᵊl How to pronounce bluebottle (audio)
: any of several blowflies (genus Calliphora) that have an iridescent blue body or abdomen and make a loud buzzing noise in flight

More from Merriam-Webster on bluebottle

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!