Home › Words › C › cantharidescantharides/kænˈθæɹɪdiːz/cantharides · noun — spanish fly, Lytta vesicatoria (syn. Cantharis vesicatoria).Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).cantharides is pronounced /kænˈθæɹɪdiːz/.EtymologyLate Middle English, from Latin cantharides, plural of cantharis.nounSpanish fly, Lytta vesicatoria (syn. Cantharis vesicatoria).Spanish fly; a vesicant extracted from the beetle, popularly held to have aphrodisiac properties.e.g.“I can make the most subtle sauces yield up their secret—whether it be white arsenic, rosalgar, mercury sublimate, or cantharides.” — 1926, Hope Mirrlees, chapter 26, in Lud-in-the-Mist:Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.cantharide 73% match — A substance obtained from soldier beetles (Cantharidae), formerly used as an aphrodisiac. vs cantharides →cantharidiasis 69% match — Poisoning by cantharidin vs cantharides →cantharidate 68% match — Any salt or ester of cantharidic acid vs cantharides →cantharidian 67% match — Composed of cantharides. vs cantharides →cantharidin 67% match — A volatile organic compound secreted by blister beetles. vs cantharides →cantharidized 67% match — Treated with cantharides. vs cantharides →cantharidal 67% match — Of, made of, or pertaining to cantharides. vs cantharides →cantharid 66% match — Any beetle in the family Cantharidae. vs cantharides →