papillon

[ pap-uh-lon; French pa-pee-yawn ]

/ ˈpæp əˌlɒn; French pa piˈyɔ̃ /

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noun, plural pap·il·lons

[-lonz; French pa-pee-yawn]. /-ˌlɒnz; French pa piˈyɔ̃/.

one of a breed of toy spaniels having a long, silky coat and large, erect ears held so that they resemble the wings of a butterfly.

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Origin of papillon

1905–10; <French: butterfly <Latin pāpiliōn- (stem of pāpiliō)

Words nearby papillon

papillocarcinoma, papilloma, papillomatosis, papillomatous, papillomavirus, papillon, papilloretinitis, papillose, papillote, papillotomy, Papinian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use papillon in a sentence

Mary de Medici, her portrait mistaken by Papillon and Fournier for a specimen of her own engraving on wood, 461.
A Treatise on Wood Engraving|John Jackson
There is also an edition by W. Papillon in English blank verse .
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 7|Various
Such a letter helps us to realise the loss suffered by France from the exile of men like Papillon.
The Anglo-French Entente in the Seventeenth Century|Charles Bastide
Yellow Dog Papillon, having come to stay, was sitting up, as if he never under any circumstances passed his time in another way.
The Halo|Bettina von Hutten

She saw Papillon, who was sitting up, looking at her with a world of sympathy in the cock of his ear.
The Halo|Bettina von Hutten

British Dictionary definitions for papillon

papillon

/ (ˈpæpɪˌlɒn) /

noun

a breed of toy spaniel with large ears

Word Origin for papillon

French: butterfly, from Latin pāpiliō

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