lightning bug

English

Etymology

From lightning +‎ bug, because the insects glow; whence also firefly. Compare glow fly, glowworm, and lanternfly.

Noun

lightning bug (plural lightning bugs)

2. Synonym of firefly.

   Synonym: lightning beetle

   • 2019, Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Water Dancer, Penguin Books (2020), page 18:

     I watched as lightning bugs drifted in, glowing yellow against the shadows.

Derived terms

• femme fatale lightning bug

Translations

firefly — see firefly