Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

tsetse fly

play
noun tset·se fly \ ˈ(t)set-sē- , ˈtet- , ˈ(t)sēt- , ˈtēt- \

Definition of tsetse fly

:any of several dipteran flies (genus Glossina) that occur in Africa south of the Sahara and include vectors of human and animal trypanosomes — called also tsetse; compare sleeping sickness

See tsetse fly defined for English-language learners

See tsetse fly defined for kids

Read the Latest from M-W

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!
alt-59c2cb9e9ef54
Trending: Ivanka: "An 'Otherwise' Incredible Day"
alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

Origin and Etymology of tsetse fly

Afrikaans, from Tswana tsètsè fly

TSETSE FLY Defined for English Language Learners

tsetse fly

play
noun

Definition of tsetse fly for English Language Learners

  • : a kind of fly found in Africa that bites people and animals, sucks their blood, and can spread a serious disease (called sleeping sickness) to humans

Medical Dictionary

tsetse fly

noun

medical Definition of tsetse fly

:any of several dipteran flies of the genus Glossina that occur in sub-Saharan Africa and include vectors of human and animal trypanosomes (as those causing sleeping sickness and nagana) — called also tsetse

Learn More about tsetse fly

  1. See words that rhyme with tsetse fly Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tsetse fly

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up tsetse fly? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

holus-bolus

play

all at once

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. otherwise "in other respects"

  2. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  3. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  4. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  5. allegory No spoilers!

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

tsetse fly
TSH

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

image536372841
Silent Letters

When each letter can be seen but not heard

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc
"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game