ladybird

British

/ ˈleɪdɪˌbɜːd /

noun

Usual US and Canadian name: ladybug. any of various small brightly coloured beetles of the family Coccinellidae, such as Adalia bipunctata ( two-spotted ladybird ), which has red elytra marked with black spots

"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

Etymology

Origin of ladybird

C18: named after Our Lady, the Virgin Mary

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An unusual number of ladybirds, swarming and clustering together in homes is being reported on social media this week.

From BBC

As well as this the Hippodamia variegata, known as the Adonis ladybird have been seen in drier parts of the forest.

From BBC

Aphid numbers, the main food source of ladybirds, boomed according to the Royal Horticultural Society after a warm start to the summer.

From BBC

He now runs a business, painting murals of ladybirds, ducks and mythical creatures.

From BBC

The nursery rhyme that goes “Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home, your house is on fire, your children are gone” cruelly repeated in my head.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023