ˈdipt(ə)rə noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek, neuter plural of dipteros having two wings, from di- + -pteros -pterous
: a large order of winged or rarely wingless insects including the true flies (as the housefly), mosquitoes, midges, gnats, and related forms and a few specialized parasitic forms with the anterior wings usually functional and the posterior pair reduced to small club-shaped structures, mouthparts adapted for sucking, lapping, or piercing or vestigial, and cylindrical or spindle-shaped segmented often headless, eyeless, and legless larvae that pass through a complex metamorphosis — see brachycera , halter , nematocera
• dip·ter·an -rən noun or adjective