ladybug

[ley-dee-buhg]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ladybug ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of numerous small, round, often brightly colored and spotted beetles of the family Coccinellidae, feeding chiefly on aphids and other small insects, but including several forms that feed on plants.

Origin of ladybug

First recorded in 1690–1700; lady + bug¹

Also called ladybeetle, lady beetle, ladybird beetle, ladybird.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ladybug

Contemporary Examples of ladybug

Exhale on the cold pane, then draw a ladybug in the condensation.
Crushing Christmas: How to Win Every Argument
Kelly Williams Brown
December 24, 2013
She has nicknames for all her students—she coos that they are her “ladybug” or “honey pie” or “sexy lady.”
A Love Letter to ‘American Idol’ Judge Nicki Minaj
Ramin Setoodeh
March 7, 2013

Historical Examples of ladybug

Who is this Mrs. Ladybug, to pick flaws in the beautiful Betsy Butterfly?
The Tale of Mrs. Ladybug
Arthur Scott Bailey
It will appear, from this, that Mrs. Ladybug was not always as pleasant as she might have been.
The Tale of Mrs. Ladybug
Arthur Scott Bailey
Mrs. Ladybug was one of the few that were sometimes disagreeable to Betsy.
The Tale of Mrs. Ladybug
Arthur Scott Bailey
However, he could think of nothing but Mrs. Ladybug and her unkind speeches.
The Tale of Mrs. Ladybug
Arthur Scott Bailey
And all at once somebody shouted, "It's Mrs. Ladybug's dinner bell!"
The Tale of Mrs. Ladybug
Arthur Scott Bailey

Word Origin and History for ladybug

1690s, from lady + bug (n.). The "lady" is the Virgin Mary (cf. German cognate Marienkäfer). In Britain, now usually ladybird beetle (1704), through aversion to the word bug, which there has overtones of sodomy.