butterfly

[buht-er-flahy]

noun

plural

butterflies 

1. any of numerous diurnal insects of the order Lepidoptera, characterized by clubbed antennae, a slender body, and large, broad, often conspicuously marked wings.

2. a person who flits aimlessly from one interest or group to another.

   a social butterfly.

3. (used with a plural verb),  butterflies, a queasy feeling, as from nervousness, excitement, etc.

4. a racing breaststroke, using a dolphin kick, in which the swimmer brings both arms out of the water in forward, circular motions.

5. Carpentry.,  butterfly wedge.

6. Sculpture.,  an X -shaped support attached to an armature.

7. one of the swinging brackets of a butterfly table.

8. Movies.,  a screen of scrim, gauze, or similar material, for diffusing light.

verb (used with object)

butterflied, butterflying 

1. Cooking.,  to slit open and spread apart to resemble the spread wings of a butterfly.

adjective

1. Cooking.,  split open and spread apart to resemble a butterfly.

   butterfly shrimp; butterfly steak.

butterfly

/ ˈbʌtəˌflaɪ /

noun

1. any diurnal insect of the order Lepidoptera that has a slender body with clubbed antennae and typically rests with the wings (which are often brightly coloured) closed over the back Compare moth

2. a person who never settles with one group, interest, or occupation for long

3. a swimming stroke in which the arms are plunged forward together in large circular movements

4. commerce the simultaneous purchase and sale of traded call options, at different exercise prices or with different expiry dates, on a stock exchange or commodity market

Other Word Forms

• butterflylike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of butterfly¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English boterflye, Old English buttorflēoge; equivalent to butter + fly ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of butterfly¹

Old English buttorflēoge ; the name perhaps is based on a belief that butterflies stole milk and butter

Example Sentences

Just like butterflies grow inside a cocoon, planets form inside the cozy belly of protoplanetary discs.

Read more on Space Scoop

Even in the most wholesome times in his life, as a little league baseball player and school theater kid, he would get a similar “butterfly in the stomach feeling” from the performance of it all.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There is a bench shaped like a butterfly, a retaining wall with a snake sculpture, and a green metal gate with an arch in the form of a giant toad.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It stretches up the dual staircase and around a statement chandelier above the foyer—and the installation also features painted butterflies that are displayed on the walls, among the flowers.

Read more on MarketWatch

“I actually built her giant butterfly wings last year for my Halloween costume … They are now the headboard to my bed!”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ant 
• aphid 
• bee 
• beetle 
• cockroach 
• dragonfly 
• flea 
• fruit fly 
• gnat 
• grasshopper 
• ladybug 
• mite 
• mosquito 
• moth 
• pest 
• spider 
• termite 
• tick