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Added 9 October 2026

butterfly

/ˈbʌ.tə(ɹ).flaɪ/ noun

In Latin: pāpiliō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about butterfly at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings.
A swimming stroke in which the arms are thrown forward together out of the water while the feet kick up and down.

verb

Flutter like a butterfly.
Cut and spread open, as in preparation for cooking.
butterflied shrimp
Talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions.
The guys always try to chat up the new secretaries

Origin

From Middle English buterflie, butturflye, boterflye, from Old English buterflēoge, equivalent to butter + fly. Cognate with Dutch botervlieg, German Butterfliege (“butterfly”). The name may have originally been applied to butterflies of a yellowish color, or reflected a belief that butterflies ate milk and butter (compare German Molkendieb (“butterfly”, literally “whey-thief”) and Low German Botterlicker (“butterfly”, literally “butter-licker”)), or that they excreted a butter-like substance (compare Dutch boterschijte (“butterfly”, literally “butter-excretor”)).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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