caddis fly

noun

: any of an order (Trichoptera) of insects with four membranous usually hairy wings, vestigial mouthparts, slender many-jointed antennae, and aquatic larvae compare caddisworm

Examples of caddis fly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web What happens in the stream and beside it is tightly linked, Milner found: Willow catkins are food for caddis flies, and alder roots provide chironomids with safe homes. —

Lesley Evans Ogden, Discover Magazine, 7 Apr. 2023 Try a Terrestrial Pattern to Catch Trout on the Surface There are certainly mayflies, caddis flies, and stoneflies that hatch right through the summer months and into the fall. —

Morgan Lyle, Field & Stream, 13 July 2023 Stillwater fishing can be dry-fly fishing, often for caddis flies or stillwater mayflies such as callibaetis, or, close to the shore, beetles and ants. —

Morgan Lyle, Field & Stream, 13 July 2023 Arriving in the 1980s were mayflies, stoneflies and caddis flies; stream ecologists call this trio EPT, from the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Tricoptera. —

Lesley Evans Ogden, Discover Magazine, 7 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caddis fly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1735, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of caddis fly was in 1735

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Caddis fly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caddis%20fly. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

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Kids Definition

caddis fly

noun

cad·dis fly

ˈkad-əs-

: any of an order of four-winged insects with a larva which lives in water in a silk case covered especially with bits of wood, gravel, sand, or plant matter