Spanish fly: Meaning and Definition of

Span'ish fly'

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. Also calleda preparation of powdered blister beetles, esp. the Spanish fly, used medicinally as a counterirritant, diuretic, and aphrodisiac.
  2. Also calleda common European blister beetle, Cantharis (Lytta) vesicatoria, that yields this preparation.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.