aphis

noun

ˈā-fəs How to pronounce aphis (audio)
 also  ˈa-fəs
plural aphides ˈā-fə-ˌdēz How to pronounce aphis (audio)
ˈa-fə-
: any of a genus (Aphis) of aphids
broadly : aphid

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin Aphid-, stem of Aphis, genus name, of obscure origin

Note: The genus name Aphis was introduced by linnaeus in Systema naturae, Edition decima, Tomus I (Stockholm, 1758), p. 451. No indication of origin or earlier use of the name is given. As the Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, notes, a number of purely speculative Greek etymologies are adduced by George Bowdler Bucton in Monograph of the British Aphides, vol. 1 (London, 1876), pp. 4-5.

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aphis was in 1763

Dictionary Entries Near aphis

aphidozer

aphis

aphlebia

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Aphis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aphis. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

aphis

noun
ˈā-fəs How to pronounce aphis (audio)
ˈaf-əs
plural aphides ˈā-fə-ˌdēz How to pronounce aphis (audio)
ˈaf-ə-
: aphid
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