mayfly means any of the many fragile insects of the order Ephemeroptera that develop in fresh water and live very briefly as winged adults. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 83 out of 100.
Why “mayfly” is a great word
MAYFLY — [Noun] Any of numerous fragile, short-lived insects of the order Ephemeroptera, whose winged adult stage emerges in spring and often lasts only a day. From the month name May + fly (the insect), a simple compound that names a profound biological clock. Unlike the general adjective "ephemeral" (which describes any fleeting thing) or the aquatic "caddisfly" (whose moth-like adult lingers for weeks), the mayfly is the corporeal instantiation of transience. It is the shimmering cloud above a dusk river, the translucent exoskeleton left clinging to a reed, and the frantic, silent dance of mating and dying completed before moonrise—a life so compressed it makes a monument of its own mortality.
noun
- Any of the many fragile insects of the order Ephemeroptera that develop in fresh water and live very briefly as winged adults.“While some animals take months to reproduce, mayfly need just one perfect day.”
- Characterized by a short duration; short-lived.“Dipping a French fry in her tomato ketchup, she admits that her name recognition could be higher. But it did spike a year ago during the mayfly premiership of Liz Truss.”