horsefly:马蝇、虻(一种体型较大的叮咬性苍蝇,雌虫常吸血,叮咬疼痛,常见于牧场、湿地等环境)。也常泛指会叮咬牲畜与人类的虻类昆虫。
/ˈhɔːrsflaɪ/
A horsefly bit my arm while I was hiking.
我徒步时被一只马蝇叮了胳膊。
The horses grew restless as horseflies swarmed around the stable, forcing the riders to move on quickly.
马蝇成群围着马厩飞,马匹变得焦躁不安,骑手只好赶紧离开。
horsefly由 horse(马)+ fly(苍蝇)构成,字面意思是“与马有关的苍蝇”。因为这类昆虫常在马、牛等大型牲畜周围活动并叮咬吸血,所以得名。