butterfly

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Butterfly

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Butterfly

Wikipedia

[edit] English

A butterfly

[edit] Etymology

From Middle English buterflie, from Old English buttorfleoge: butor (“‘butter’”) + fleoge (“‘fly’”), perhaps with reference to the colour of common species including the brimstone butterfly, Gonepteryx rhamni or due to old belief that butterflies - or witches transformed into butterflies - steal cream and other milk products. Compare to German Schmetterling.

[edit] Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /ˈbʌtɝflaɪ/
• (UK) IPA: /ˈbʌtəflaɪ/

   Audio (CA)^{help, file}

[edit] Noun

butterfly (plural butterflies)

1. (insect) A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring.
2. The butterfly stroke.
3. A use of surgical tape, cut into thin strips and placed across an open wound to hold it closed.

   butterfly tape

[edit] Synonyms

• lep

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Translations

[edit] Verb

to butterfly (third-person singular simple present butterflies, present participle butterflying, simple past and past participle butterflied)

1. To cut almost entirely in half and spread the halves apart, in a shape suggesting the wings of a butterfly.

   butterflied shrimp

2. To cut strips of surgical tape or plasters into thin strips, and place across a gaping wound to close it.

[edit] See also

• caterpillar
• flutterby
• moth
• Appendix: Animals
• Appendix: Collective nouns

[edit] Anagrams

• Alphagram: beflrttuy
• flutterby