lepidopterous

American  

[lep-i-dop-ter-uhs] / ˌlɛp ɪˈdɒp tər əs /

Or lepidopteral

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Lepidoptera, an order of insects comprising the butterflies, moths, and skippers, that in the adult state have four membranous wings more or less covered with small scales.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonlepidopteral
  adjective
• nonlepidopterous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of lepidopterous

First recorded in 1790–1800; Lepidopter(a) + -ous

Example Sentences

He leaves us, however, to imagine under what possible geographical conditions the climate in Europe could be too severe for a lepidopterous fauna, while at the same time Central Asia could maintain an abundant one.

From The History of the European Fauna by Scharff, Robert Francis

I greatly fear," he continued, "that the omission to which I have reluctantly adverted is to a certain extent typically characteristic of the entire political and social economy of the lepidopterous order.

From The Twilight of the Gods, and Other Tales by Garnett, Richard

The diminutive florets on its flat disk are so shallow that lepidopterous and hymenopterous insects, with their long proboses, stand no chance of getting a meal.

From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by Fernie, William Thomas

Semidiur′na, a group of lepidopterous insects including the hawk-moth.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Its most deadly enemy in the insect world is a small insect of the lepidopterous variety, which is known as the coffee-leaf miner.

From All About Coffee by Ukers, William H. (William Harrison)