mariposa

See also: Mariposa

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish mariposa (“butterfly”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌmæɹɪˈpəʊ.sə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌmæɹɪˈpoʊ.sə/
  • (Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˌmɛɹɪˈpoʊ.sə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊsə

Noun

mariposa (plural mariposas)

1. A mariposa lily (Calochortus spp.).

Anagrams

• parosmia

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish mariposa.

Noun

mariposa f (plural mariposes)

1. butterfly

Chavacano

Etymology

Inherited from Spanish mariposa.

Noun

mariposa

1. butterfly

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish mariposa.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ma.ɾiˈpo.zɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ma.ɾiˈpo.zɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ma.ɾiˈpo.za/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐ.ɾiˈpɔ.zɐ/

• Hyphenation: ma‧ri‧po‧sa

Noun

mariposa f (plural mariposas)

1. a butterfly
2. (Portugal, swimming) butterfly stroke
3. a moth

Derived terms

• mariposista

Sardinian

Noun

mariposa f (plural mariposas)

1. (Campidanese) alternative form of maniposa

Spanish

Etymology

Likely from the Vulgar Latin māreposā, which is a combination of māra (meaning "to flutter") and *pōsa (suggesting "to rest"). Another theory suggests it comes from the phrase María pósate (“Mary, alight!”). This likely stems from the belief that butterflies were the souls of the dead, and the Virgin Mary was often associated with souls. Another theory suggests it might be a combination of "mala pausa," meaning "bad rest" or "bad alighting," reflecting the insect's sometimes erratic flight patterns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maɾiˈposa/ [ma.ɾiˈpo.sa]

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -osa
• Syllabification: ma‧ri‧po‧sa

Noun

mariposa f (plural mariposas)

1. butterfly
2. (slang) male homosexual
3. (swimming) butterfly stroke
4. creeping beggarweed (Desmodium incanum)
5. white ginger (Hedychium coronarium)
6. tremors felt in the stomach when one is nervous.

Derived terms

• a otra cosa, mariposa
• arbusto de las mariposas
• cazamariposas
• efecto mariposa
• lirio mariposa
• mariposa de la muerte
• mariposa de la seda
• mariposa luna
• mariposa monarca
• mariposa virrey
• mariposario
• mariposero
• tener mariposas en el estómago

Descendants

• ⇒ English: mariposa lily
• → Portuguese: mariposa

See also

• oruga f (“caterpillar”)
• polilla f (“moth”)

Further reading

• “mariposa”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024