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Meaning of "backswimmer" in the English dictionary

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PRONUNCIATION OF BACKSWIMMER

backswimmer  [ˈbækswɪ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF BACKSWIMMER

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Backswimmer is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES BACKSWIMMER MEAN IN ENGLISH?

backswimmer

Notonectidae

Notonectidae is a cosmopolitan family of aquatic insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly called Backswimmers because they swim upside down. The Common Backswimmer, Notonecta glauca, is widespread in the United Kingdom, where it is known as the Greater water boatman, and in Europe. Nonectidae are similar in appearance to Corixidae, but can be distinguished by their larger size, dorsal-ventral coloration, front legs, and predatory behavior. Their dorsum is convex, lightly colored without cross striations. Their front tarsi are not scoop-shaped and their hind legs are fringed for swimming. There are two subfamilies, Notonectinae and Anisopinae, each containing four genera. The most common genus of Backswimmers is Notonecta - streamlined, deep-bodied bugs up to 16 mm long, green, brown or yellowish in colour. N. maculata, is distinguished by its mottled brick-coloured forewings. Backswimmers swim on their backs, vigorously paddling with their long, hair-fringed hind legs and attack prey as large as tadpoles and small fish They can inflict a painful "bite" on a human being. They inhabit still freshwater, e.g.

Definition of backswimmer in the English dictionary

The definition of backswimmer in the dictionary is an aquatic bug belonging to the family Notonectidae that swims on its back using its back legs as oars.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE BACKSWIMMER

backstab
backstabber
backstage
backstage pass
backstair
backstairs
backstall
backstamp
backstarting
backstay
backstitch
backstop
backstopped
backstopping
backstreet
backstroke
backswept
backswing
backsword
backswordsman

WORDS THAT END LIKE BACKSWIMMER

blue swimmer
brimmer
dimmer
gimmer
glimmer
grimmer
hedge trimmer
hummer
krimmer
limmer
nimmer
primmer
rimmer
shimmer
simmer
skimmer
slimmer
Strimmer
swimmer
trimmer
Zimmer

Synonyms and antonyms of backswimmer in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «backswimmer» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF BACKSWIMMER

Find out the translation of backswimmer to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of backswimmer from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «backswimmer» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

backswimmer
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

backswimmer
570 millions of speakers

English

backswimmer
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

backswimmer
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

backswimmer
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

backswimmer
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

backswimmer
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

backswimmer
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

notonecte
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Backswimmer
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Rückenschwimmer
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

backswimmer
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

backswimmer
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Backswimmer
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

backswimmer
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

backswimmer
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

बॅकस्विममर
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

backswimmer
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

backswimmer
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

backswimmer
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

backswimmer
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

backswimmer
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

backswimmer
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

backswimmer
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

backswimmer
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

backswimmer
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of backswimmer

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «BACKSWIMMER»

The term «backswimmer» is used very little and occupies the 179.427 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Rarely used
16
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «backswimmer» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of backswimmer
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «backswimmer».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «BACKSWIMMER» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «backswimmer» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «backswimmer» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about backswimmer

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BACKSWIMMER»

Discover the use of backswimmer in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to backswimmer and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Pond and Brook: A Guide to Nature in Freshwater Environments
The backswimmer and water boatman are similar in appearance and often mistaken for one another. The water boatman is usually dark gray or black and swims upright, while the backswimmer is generally lighter in color and swims belly up.
Michael J. Caduto, 1985
2
California Insects
A collector needs just one painful lesson in carelessly picking up a backswimmer. These bugs have both the front and middle legs adapted for grasping their prey, while the hindlegs are long and oarlike, flattened and fringed for swimming.
Jerry A. Powell, Charles Leonard Hogue, 1980
3
Polarized Light in Animal Vision: Polarization Patterns in ...
Backswimmer. Notonecta. glauca. The backswimmer Notonecta glauca is polarization sensitive (see Sect. 18.5) and detects water by means of the horizontally polarized light reflected from the water surface (Schwind 1983a,b, 1984a,b, 1985a ...
Gábor Horváth, Dezsö Varju, 2004
4
Insects of the Great Lakes Region
First, since the back is light colored any potential predator beneath the backswimmmer would have a difficult time seeing it against the lighted background above. Second, any reflection of the backswimmer on the surface of the water would ...
Gary A. Dunn, 1996
5
Fly Fishing and Other Stuff:
Backswimmer underwater is something totally different! It took me a while to figure it out, but presenting the fly in a dead drift was the best method. Above: Two very effective Back Swimmer imitations that can be fished on or just under the ...
Guy R. Woods, 2012
6
The Wildlife Garden
Like the water boatman, the whirligig can trap air against its body for long swims. A strong flyer, and often the first bug to colonise a new pond. Common backswimmer Don't be fooled by Notonecta X galuca's small size or idiosyncratic habit of ...
John Lewis-Stempel, 2014
7
AQUIRE: Aquatic Information Retrieval Toxicity Data Base : ...
... 4 Mayfly IN EPHE 4 Giant Water Bug IN HEMI 224 Giant Water Bug IN HEMI 4 Giant Water Bug IN HEMI 137 Backswimmer IN HEMI 4 Water Boatman IN HEMI 13 Water Boatman IN HEMI 4 Water Boatman IN HEMI 76 Water Boatman Family  ...
Rosemarie C. Russo, Anne Pilli, Environmental Research Laboratory (Duluth, Minn.), 1985
8
American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North ...
NOTONECTIDAE (Backswimmer Bug Family) Diagnosis: L. 1.8-15.5 mm. These insects resemble a boat, their legs being the oars. They swim with their dark ventral surface up (that is, on their backs) with their wings serving as the bottom of the ...
Ross H. Arnett, Jr., 2000
9
Secret Knowledge of Water: There Are Two Easy Ways to Die in ...
Like E. sticticus, the predaceous backswimmer Notonecta is able to leave the water and fly with wings it keeps sealed in a protective casing. To find the next water, it seeks polarized ultraviolet light reflected from smooth bodies of water, the ...
Craig Childs, 2008
10
Near One Cattail: Turtles, Logs and Leaping Frogs
Pale brown in color, the backswimmer has long back legs fringed with fine hairs. For much of the day a backswimmer rests upside down. When an enemy approaches, the backswimmer, still upside down, uses its hind legs as oars and quickly ...
Anthony D. Fredericks, 2012

5 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «BACKSWIMMER»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term backswimmer is used in the context of the following news items.
1
EXPLORING THE NIAGARA FRONTIER: What are those bugs in …
Unlike the backswimmer, the water boatman eats plant material. ... The backswimmer looks almost identical to the water boatman but that is ... «East Niagara Post, Jun 15»
2
New technology could reduce vessel drag, save fuel
The idea came from observing the notonecta glauca or backswimmer bug, which skims quickly across the surface of the water with the help of ... «bunkerworld, Jun 15»
3
How the scorpion's venomous sting evolved
It was found in green shield bugs, spined soldier bugs and three species of backswimmer. "It is surprising that only insect defensins from ... «BBC News, Jan 14»
4
A Vision for Restoring Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Valley
Kirby's backswimmer and the small backswimmer will swim in at the surface, upside down, rowing a sort of backstroke. (At first glance, the ... «Earth Island Journal, Dec 13»
5
Pondcast 31: Day campers brave biting backswimmers
This week, one of the Leslie Science and Nature Center day campers observed first-hand, the incredible biting powers of the backswimmer, ... «AnnArbor.com, Sep 10»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Backswimmer [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/backswimmer>. Apr 2024 ».
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