Definition of Backswimmer

1. Noun. Predaceous aquatic insect that swims on its back and may inflict painful bites.

Exact synonyms: Notonecta Undulata
Generic synonyms: Bug, Hemipteran, Hemipteron, Hemipterous Insect
Group relationships: Genus Notonecta, Notonecta

Definition of Backswimmer

1. Noun. Any of various aquatic insects, of the family ''Notonectidae'', that swim on their backs. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Backswimmer

backstrap
backstraps
backstreet
backstreets
backstress
backstresses
backstretches
backstroke
backstroked
backstroker
backstrokers
backstrokes
backstroking
backswept
backswimmer (current term)
backswing
backswings
backswords
backtag
backtagged
backtagging
backtags
backtalk
backtalked
backtalker
backtalkers
backtalking
backtalks

Literary usage of Backswimmer

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Teaching of Science in the Elementary School by Gilbert Haven Trafton (1918)
"The backswimmer illustrates swimming. The beetle illustrates running. t Child's problem. ... Differences between legs of grasshopper and of backswimmer. ..."

2. Entomology, with Special Reference to Its Ecological Aspects by Justus Watson Folsom (1922)
"230, .4) and the presence of a dorsal air-chamber under the elytra, the back of the insect tends to remain uppermost, while in the backswimmer, ..."

3. Writing Fabulous Sentences and Paragraphs by Jill Norris, Don Robison (1997)
"Main Idea A backswimmer has a rounded back and its underside is flat. When it floats on its back it ... The backswimmer spends most of its time upside down. ..."

4. Fresh-water Biology by Henry Baldwin Ward, George Chandler Whipple (1918)
"A water hug (at the left) and a backswimmer (at the right), resting at the surface of an aquarium. which is capable of making painful wounds. ..."

5. Reduction of Domestic Mosquitos: Instructions for the Use of Municipalities by Edward Halford Ross (1911)
"It is known as the water- boatman or " backswimmer " (Notonecta). It lives on mosquito larvae, and will keep a pond quite clear of them. ..."

6. The Elements of Animal Biology by Samuel Jackson Holmes (1919)
"When swimming below the surface the backswimmer carries quite a supply of air which gives it a silvery appearance where ..."

Other Resources:

Search for Backswimmer on Dictionary.com!Search for Backswimmer on Thesaurus.com!Search for Backswimmer on Google!Search for Backswimmer on Wikipedia!

Search