Plural of botfly; parasitic insects whose larvae burrow into the skin of mammals and can cause painful infections.
From Middle English 'bot' (parasitic larva) plus 'flies,' with 'bot' possibly derived from Old Norse 'bót' or an onomatopoetic origin mimicking the buzzing sound of the insect.
Botflies are one of nature's most disturbing parasites—they lay eggs on mosquitoes, which then transfer them to mammals, creating a horror-movie life cycle that's completely real and happens in the wild today!
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