Ephemera

6 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  May \May\, n. [F. Mai, L. Maius; so named in honor of the
     goddess Maia (Gr. Mai^a), daughter of Atlas and mother of
     Mercury by Jupiter.]
     1. The fifth month of the year, containing thirty-one days.
        --Chaucer.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. The early part or springtime of life.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              His May of youth, and bloom of lustihood. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Bot.) The flowers of the hawthorn; -- so called from
        their time of blossoming; also, the hawthorn.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The palm and may make country houses gay. --Nash.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Plumes that mocked the may.           --Tennyson.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. The merrymaking of May Day. --Tennyson.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Italian may} (Bot.), a shrubby species of {Spiraea}
        ({Spiraea hypericifolia}) with many clusters of small
        white flowers along the slender branches.
  
     {May apple} (Bot.), the fruit of an American plant
        ({Podophyllum peltatum}). Also, the plant itself
        (popularly called {mandrake}), which has two lobed leaves,
        and bears a single egg-shaped fruit at the forking. The
        root and leaves, used in medicine, are powerfully drastic.
        
  
     {May beetle}, {May bug} (Zool.), any one of numerous species
        of large lamellicorn beetles that appear in the winged
        state in May. They belong to {Melolontha}, and allied
        genera. Called also {June beetle}.
  
     {May Day}, the first day of May; -- celebrated in the rustic
        parts of England by the crowning of a May queen with a
        garland, and by dancing about a May pole.
  
     {May dew}, the morning dew of the first day of May, to which
        magical properties were attributed.
  
     {May flower} (Bot.), a plant that flowers in May; also, its
        blossom. See {Mayflower}, in the vocabulary.
  
     {May fly} (Zool.), any species of {Ephemera}, and allied
        genera; -- so called because the mature flies of many
        species appear in May. See {Ephemeral fly}, under
        {Ephemeral}.
  
     {May game}, any May-day sport.
  
     {May lady}, the queen or lady of May, in old May games.
  
     {May lily} (Bot.), the lily of the valley ({Convallaria
        majalis}).
  
     {May pole}. See {Maypole} in the Vocabulary.
  
     {May queen}, a girl or young woman crowned queen in the
        sports of May Day.
  
     {May thorn}, the hawthorn.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Ephemera \E*phem"e*ra\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? a day fly, fr. ?
     daily, lasting but a day; ? over + ? day.]
     1. (Med.) A fever of one day's continuance only.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zo["o]l.) A genus of insects including the day flies, or
        ephemeral flies. See {Ephemeral fly}, under {Ephemeral}.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Ephemeron \E*phem"e*ron\, n.; pl. {Ephemera}. [NL. See
     {Ephemera}.] (Zo["o]l.)
     One of the ephemeral flies.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  ephemera
       See {ephemeron}
       [also: {ephemerae} (pl)]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  ephemera
       n 1: something transitory; lasting a day
       2: an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form [syn:
           {ephemeron}]
       [also: {ephemerae} (pl)]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  ephemeron
       n : an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form [syn:
            {ephemera}]
       [also: {ephemera} (pl)]