The scientific family name for robber flies, a large family of predatory insects known for hunting and eating other flying insects.
From Greek 'asilus' (a stinging or biting fly, gadfly) + Latin '-idae' (the standard suffix for animal families in binomial nomenclature). Linnaeus and fellow taxonomists standardized this naming system in the 18th century.
Robber flies are so fierce that they'll attack insects much larger than themselves—they're like tiny flying dinosaurs! Scientists named them using the ancient Greek word for 'gadfly,' connecting modern taxonomy back to classical texts where these insects annoyed horses and humans.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.