ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
1. : a two-winged fly ( Musca domestica ) with mouthparts adapted for lapping or sipping that is found in all habitable parts of the world, being often a most abundant and familiar insect about human habitations during the warm part of the year and acting as a mechanical agent in transmitting diseases (as typhoid fever) by alighting on infected substances and then on food
2. : any of various flies of similar appearance or habitat (as the lesser housefly or the stable fly)