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Origin and history of dragonfly

dragonfly(n.)

common name of a neuropterous predatory insect of the group Libellulina, with a long, slender body, large eyes, and two pairs of large, membranous wings, 1620s, from dragon + fly (n.1). An older name for it was adderbolt (late 15c.), for its shape, also devil's darning-needle.

also from 1620s

Entries linking to dragonfly

dragon(n.)

mid-13c., dragoun, a fabulous animal common to the conceptions of many races and peoples, from Old French dragon and directly from Latin draconem (nominative draco) "huge serpent, dragon," from Greek drakon (genitive drakontos) "serpent, giant seafish," apparently from drak-, strong aorist stem of derkesthai "to see clearly," from PIE *derk- "to see" (source also of Sanskrit darsata- "visible;" Old Irish adcondarc "I have seen;" Gothic gatarhjan "characterize;" Old English torht, Old High German zoraht "light, clear;" Albanian dritë "light").

Perhaps the literal sense is "the one with the (deadly) glance, the one with (paralyzing) sight." The young are dragonets (c. 1300). Fem. form dragoness is attested from 1630s. Obsolete drake (n.2) "dragon" is an older borrowing of the same word, and a later form in another sense is dragoon. Used in the Bible generally for creatures of great size and fierceness, it translates Hebrew tannin "a great sea-monster," also tan, a desert mammal now believed to be the jackal.

fly(n.1)

[winged insect] Middle English flie (2), from Old English fleoge, fleogan "a fly, winged insect," from Proto-Germanic *fleugon "the flying (insect)" (compare Old English fleogende "flying"). According to Watkins this is from PIE root *pleu- "to flow," which is also the reconstructed source of fly (v.1). The plural flien (as in oxen, etc.) gradually was normalized 13c.-15c. to -s. 

Originally and in popular language a flying insect of any common kind (moths, gnats, bees, beetles, locusts, hence butterfly, etc.) and long used by farmers and gardeners for any insect parasite. Especially of the common house-fly (Latin musca). In modern entomology, a two-winged insect of the order Diptera especially of the family Muscidae.

Flies figuratively for "large numbers" of anything is from 1590s. Fly in the ointment "small or trifling matter which spoils enjoyment" is from Eccles. x:1. Fly on the wall "unseen observer" is recorded by 1881. No flies on _____ "no lack of activity or alertness on the part of," is attested by 1881, said to be a reference to active cattle.

The meaning "fish-hook dressed to resemble an insect" is attested from 1580s; fly-fishing is from 1650s; fly-rod, used by anglers in fly-fishing, is from 1680s.

The fly agaric mushroom (1788) is so called because it was used in fly powders and other poisons for flies.

Germanic cognates include Old Saxon fleiga, Old Norse fluga, Middle Dutch vlieghe, Dutch vlieg, Old High German flioga, German Fliege "fly." 

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    needle
    Old English nædl "small, pointed instrument for carrying a thread through woven fabric, leather, etc.," from Proto-Germanic *næthlo (source also of Old Saxon nathla, Old Norse nal, Old Frisian nedle, Old High German nadala, German Nadel, Gothic neþla "needle"), literally "a tool
    sewing
    c. 1300, seuinge, "art or practice of sewing; " c. 1400, "sewn work, a piece of work with needle and thread;" verbal noun from sew (v.). By late 14c. as "action of sewing, the making or mending of garments as an act or occupation." Sewing-machine, "machine for stitching fabrics,"
    snake
    Middle English snake, "a long, limbless reptile," from Old English snaca, from Proto-Germanic *snakon (source also of Old Norse snakr "snake," Swedish snok, German Schnake "ring snake"), from PIE root *sneg- "to crawl, creeping thing" (source also of Old Irish snaighim "to creep,
    doctor
    c. 1300, doctour, "Church father," from Old French doctour and directly from Medieval Latin doctor "religious teacher, adviser, scholar," in classical Latin "teacher," agent noun from docere "to show, teach, cause to know," originally "make to appear right," causative of decere "
    mosquito
    name given to gnat-like insects the females of which bite animals and draw blood through a piercing and sucking proboscis, 1580s, from Spanish mosquito "little gnat," diminutive of mosca "fly," from Latin musca "fly," from PIE root *mu- "gnat, fly" (compare Sanskrit maksa-, Greek
    hawk
    c. 1300, hauk, earlier havek (c. 1200), from Old English hafoc (West Saxon), heafuc (Mercian), heafoc, "hawk," from Proto-Germanic *habukaz (source also of Old Norse haukr, Old Saxon habuc, Middle Dutch havik, Old High German habuh, German Habicht "hawk"), from PIE root *kap- "to
    poverty
    late 12c., poverte, "destitution, want, need or insufficiency of money or goods," from Old French poverte, povrete "poverty, misery, wretched condition" (Modern French pauvreté), from Latin paupertatem (nominative paupertas) "poverty," from pauper "poor" (see poor (adj.)). From e
    humble
    late 13c., of persons, "submissive, respectful, lowly in manner, modest, not self-asserting, obedient," from Old French humble, umble, earlier umele, from Latin humilis "lowly, humble," literally "on the ground," from humus "earth" (from PIE root *dhghem- "earth"). From late 14c.

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