lanternfly

L1A1N1T1E1R1N1F4L1Y4

noun

Any of various insects in the family Fulgoridae, especially in the genera Fulgora and Pyrops, with brilliant coloration.

Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounlanternfly (plural lanternflies)

plural lanternflies

  1. Any of various insects in the family Fulgoridae, especially in the genera Fulgora and Pyrops, with brilliant coloration.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
lantern beetle

Origin

From lantern + fly. The name came about because of claims that some Fulgoridae are luminous at night. European and Euro-American writers, including Maria Sibylla Merian and Carl Linnaeus, said that the claims came from Indigenous peoples in South America. (Merian had visited Suriname.) Various names, including lanternfly, the specific name laternaria, and various other (current or former) scientific names, came out of this belief. Compare names for insects that do in fact glow at night: firefly, lightning bug, glow fly, and glowworm.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 燈籠蠅 /灯笼蝇
  • 燈籠蠅 /灯笼蝇insect
Finnish lyhtykaskas
  • lyhtykaskasinsect
French fulgore
  • fulgoreinsect
Cite this entry
APA

lanternfly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lanternfly

MLA

“lanternfly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lanternfly. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lanternfly,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lanternfly.

Source: lanternfly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.