လိပ်ပြာ

Burmese

FWOTD – 10 July 2017

လိပ်ပြာ

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ljap (“butterfly”), whence also Tibetan ཕྱེ་མ་ལེབ (phye ma leb) and Chinese 蝶 (OC *l'eːb).

For the association with spirit, compare Thai ผีเสื้อ (pǐi-sʉ̂ʉa, “butterfly”, literally “tutelary soul”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leɪʔpjà/
• Romanization: MLCTS: lippra • ALA-LC: lipʻprā • BGN/PCGN: leikpya • Okell: leiʔpya

Noun

လိပ်ပြာ • (lippra)

1. butterfly
2. incorporeal or animate part of a human being; consciousness; spirit

References

• “လိပ်ပြာ” in Myanmar–English Dictionary (Myanmar Language Commission 1993). Searchable online at SEAlang.net.