nymphalid

[nim-fuh-lid]

noun

a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, comprising the brush-footed butterflies.

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the family Nymphalidae.

Origin of nymphalid

1890–95; < New Latin Nymphalidae name of family, equivalent to Nymphāl(is) name of genus (Latin nymph(a) nymph + -ālis -al¹) + -idae -id²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for nymphalid

Historical Examples of nymphalid

No less than sixty-two genera are counted today in the family of diurnal butterflies known as the Nymphalid.
On Germinal Selection as a Source of Definite Variation
August Weismann
The family of Nymphalid is the sub-typical group of the diurnal Lepidoptera, forming our tribe Papiliones.
Zoological Illustrations, or Original Figures and Descriptions. Volume III, Second Series
William Swainson

British Dictionary definitions for nymphalid

nymphalid

noun

any butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, typically having brightly coloured wings: includes the fritillaries, tortoiseshells, red admirals, and peacock

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Nymphalidae

Word Origin for nymphalid

C19: from New Latin, from Nymphālis genus name, from Latin; see nymph

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