fritillary

American  

[frit-l-er-ee] / ˈfrɪt lˌɛr i /

noun

• fritillaries
  plural

1. any of several orange-brown nymphalid butterflies, usually marked with black lines and dots and with silvery spots on the undersides of the wings.

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fritillary British  

/ frɪˈtɪlərɪ /

noun

1. any N temperate liliaceous plant of the genus Fritillaria , having purple or white drooping bell-shaped flowers, typically marked in a chequered pattern See also snake's head

2. any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genera Argynnis, Boloria , etc, having brownish wings chequered with black and silver

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fritillaries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of fritillary

From New Latin, dating back to 1625–35; see origin at fritillaria

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fritillary fritillaries

They shimmer from the pages like bright bits of stained glass, and their names are equally enchanting: common blue, painted lady, Queen of Spain fritillary, black-veined white and northern brown argus, among others.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Should I just leave now?” she asks herself after spotting a heath fritillary in Vendsyssel in northern Denmark.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

The final section of amphibians, insects and fish, has: the Atlantic salmon, the basking shark, the buff-tailed bumblebee, the common frog, the Emperor dragonfly, and the marsh fritillary butterfly.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

The pearl-bordered fritillary, a striking orange-and-black butterfly whose caterpillars feed only on violets, has declined by 70%.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

The day didn’t begin to look up until I caught a spotted fritillary butterfly.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Larger — and faster — than the blues are the bright black-and-orange fritillaries.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2024

I’ve given up on fritillaries, which are, in my experience, one-shot wonders in hot, humid regions.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 20, 2020

They include blues, whites, sulphurs, coppers, fritillaries, wood nymphs, skippers, crescents and checkerspots.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 24, 2016

"Woodland butterflies, fritillaries in particular, are associated with gaps or temporary hotspots within the woods."

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2012

But I like to imagine that there existed a cultus of the venerable goddess in the green fields where the purple fritillaries, so reminiscent of the lotus, blossom in the early spring. 

From Masques & Phases by Robert Ross

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