Definition of "may-fly" []

• A neuropterous insect of the family Ephemeridæ; one of the Ephemerina; an ephemerid; a day-fly. See the technical words, and cut under day-fly. (noun)
• In Great Britain, a neuropterous insect of the suborder Trichoptera, and especially of the family Phryganeidæ, as Sialis lutaria; the caddis-fly. (noun)
• An artificial fly made in imitation of the May-fly. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "It is still best known through literature, from the pages of Henry Williamson's 1920s 'novel Tarka the Otter, or for its fleeting appearances in Wind in the Willows - "a swirl of water and a' cloop! 'and the may-fly was visible no more (and) neither was the otter, "- but now bolder members of the species can even occasionally be seen around town."
• "The may-fly dies almost before it is born, and even the swan's song in the sun evokes a smile as serene as Mary's (stanza ii)."
• "Here we see that the feeding activities of the insect are carried on during the larval stage only; the may-fly in its winged condition takes no food, pairing and egg-laying form the whole of its appointed task."