butterfly

[ buht-er-flahy ]

/ ˈbʌt ərˌflaɪ /

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See synonyms for: butterfly / butterflied / butterflies / butterflying on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural but·ter·flies.

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

a person who flits aimlessly from one interest or group to another: a social butterfly.

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

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

Carpentry. butterfly wedge.

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

one of the swinging brackets of a butterfly table.

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

verb (used with object), but·ter·flied, but·ter·fly·ing.

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

adjective Also butterflied.

Cooking. split open and spread apart to resemble a butterfly: butterfly shrimp; butterfly steak.

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Origin of butterfly

before 1000; Middle English boterflye,Old English buttorflēoge.See butter, fly¹

OTHER WORDS FROM butterfly

but·ter·fly·like, adjective, adverb

Words nearby butterfly

Butterfield, butterfingers, butterfish, butterflies, butterflies in one's stomach, butterfly, butterfly ballot, butterfly bomb, butterfly bush, butterfly chair, butterfly closure

How to use butterfly in a sentence

South Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve is as good a spot to see the butterflies as any.
Your 2021 National Park Calendar|Megan Michelson|January 25, 2021|Outside Online
It’s not all honey and butterflies in our relationship with insects.
We Crush, Poison, and Destroy Insects at Our Own Peril - Issue 95: Escape|John Hainze|January 20, 2021|Nautilus
Someone who likes their alone time might not have a brain response that is as strong as someone who is a social butterfly.
Loneliness makes our brains crave people|Bethany Brookshire|January 8, 2021|Science News For Students
This technology was demonstrated in artistic replicas of dancing butterflies, fluttering leaves, and blooming flowers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
Why ‘soft robots’ have NASA, doctors, and tech whizzes so excited|jakemeth|January 1, 2021|Fortune

Scientists have observed insects — especially butterflies, bees and flies — crawling into the eyes of animals.
Scientists Say: Lachryphagy|Bethany Brookshire|December 21, 2020|Science News For Students
“When you become a peshmerga your life becomes like a butterfly,” she said.
Embedding With the Women Who Are Kicking ISIS Ass|Susannah George|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So, to commemorate her 75th birthday, the two got matching butterfly tattoos on their wrists.
Masters of Alt Sex: SuicideGirls Hits Puberty and Wants to Invade Your TV Set|Marlow Stern|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This video remedies that injustice, showcasing an owl doing a butterfly stroke in Lake Michigan.
Swimming Owls, Jane Krakowski’s Peter Pan Live! Audition, and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A small wooden cabinet with two butterfly doors held ropes and chains, candles, and sex toys.
A Murder in Detroit’s Sexual Underworld|Steve Miller|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The labels included a picture of a butterfly on a blade of grass.
Whole Foods' Anti-GMO Swindle|Michael Schulson|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She became my sweetheart, temporarily; but a born butterfly, she soon fluttered away, leaving me disconsolate—for a time!
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Out by the hill, a butterfly, snow white, rested a moment on the young girl's hair.
The Dragon Painter|Mary McNeil Fenollosa
In Leeming-street it was in the chrysalis state; in Fishergate the butterfly epoch has been reached.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus
A filmy and diaphanous creature was Mrs. Patton also—one could never have dreamed of so exquisite a black butterfly.
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair
I hate to think that he may become a social butterfly on account of his title, but a stanza from Calverly haunts my memory.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur

British Dictionary definitions for butterfly

butterfly

/ (ˈbʌtəˌflaɪ) /

noun plural -flies

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 backCompare moth Related adjective: lepidopteran

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

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

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

Word Origin for butterfly

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

butterfly

Origin of butterfly

OTHER WORDS FROM butterfly

Words nearby butterfly

Words related to butterfly

How to use butterfly in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for butterfly

Word Origin for butterfly