papillon
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of papillon
1905–10; < French: butterfly < Latin pāpiliōn- (stem of pāpiliō )
Vocabulary lists containing papillon
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.
See Examples For:
Kiba, her 3.5-pound papillon with a purple Mohawk, pulled 556 pounds on rails.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
In addition to gaining many more fans, Bunny, now 4 years old, also gained a couple of siblings: Otter, a 2½-year-old standard poodle, and Tenrec, a 1-year-old papillon.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2023
The Tibetan spaniel papillon mix was photographed on Instagram wearing a bow tie, with a caption that read: “My mommies are MARRIED!!!! Married?…… yes…. married!!!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2023
When Morrill’s family got another papillon, Rosie, a year later, she was entirely different: bold, outgoing, and adoring of all people.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 27, 2022
"Ah! pour le coup, papillon, je te tiens!" cried la comtesse, and with eager joy she covered it with a glass, as it lighted on the table.
From Tales and Novels — Volume 06 by Edgeworth, Maria
Dr. Xanya Sofra, who is based in Hong Kong, has had at least half a dozen of her papillons preserved by Bischoff’s.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2025
Then, step aside in an inelegant crab walk so as to avoid both turning one’s back on royalty or stepping on royalty’s yappy papillons.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2018
Madame de Pompadour always carried one, Marie Antoinette took hers along to prison, and Edith Wharton brought papillons to the U.S., where currently there are 158 registered.
From Time Magazine Archive
In the rings were many other strange-sounding foreign breeds : Keeshonden, kuvasz, komondorock,* Rottweilers, Salukis, Pulis, papillons and bouviers des Flandres.
From Time Magazine Archive
Another one, Touzeau, a sea-captain at St. Brélade, was the author of that philosophical pun, erroneously attributed to Camus, "Après la mort, les papes deviennent papillons, et les sires deviennent cirons."
From Toilers of the Sea by Hugo, Victor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
