gadfly English · revision 1980

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈɡædflaɪ/ ''(UK)''; /ˈɡædˌflaɪ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound of [[gad]] “goad, spike”^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) and [[fly]].^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) ''Gad'' in this sense is from a Scandinavian source; compare Old Norse ''gaddr'' “spike”.^(Barnhart 1995) The word was also linked with the verb ''gad'' “to roam about”.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A person who likes to roam about from place to place (1591 in Barnhart).^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) The insect sense is dated 1593 by Merriam-Webster and 1626 by Barnhart.^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A gadfly is an insect such as a horsefly or botfly that bites or annoys cattle, its “goad” being its sting.^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) The early sense of a gadabout reflects confusion with ''gad'' “to rove”, perhaps from the insect's flight or the restlessness of animals it plagues.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995) From the 1640s ''gadfly'' meant a person who irritates others,^(Etymonline) the equivalent of Latin ''oestrus''.^(Etymonline) It now usually means a persistent critic who provokes or stimulates.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1591 – a person who likes to gad about.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1593 – a fly that bites livestock.^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1640s – one who irritates others.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A person who persistently annoys or provokes others with criticism.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+ # Something that acts as a stimulus; a goad.^(AHD)

+ # Any of various flies, such as horseflies and botflies, that bite or annoy livestock.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[gad]]

+ * [[goad]]

+ * [[fly]]

+ * [[botfly]]

+ * [[horsefly]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}