Cantharis

Cantharis Can"tha*ris (k[a^]n"th[.a]*r[i^]s), n.; pl. {Cantharides} (k[a^]n*th[a^]r"[i^]*d[=e]z). [L., a kind of beetle, esp. the Spanish fly, Gr. kanqari`s.] (Zo["o]l.) A beetle ({Lytta vesicatoria}, syn. {Cantharis vesicatoria}), having an elongated cylindrical body of a brilliant green color, and a nauseous odor; the blister fly or blister beetle, of the apothecary; -- also called {Spanish fly}. Many other species of {Lytta}, used for the same purpose, take the same name. See {Blister beetle}, under {Blister}. The plural form in usually applied to the dried insects used in medicine. [1913 Webster]