vijfwouter

Dutch

Alternative forms

• wiewouter

Etymology

Folk-etymological alteration of the inherited Middle Dutch vīvalter, from Old Dutch *fifaltra, from Proto-Germanic *fifaldǭ. Germanic cognates include Old Saxon fifoldaro, Old High German fifaltra, Old English fifealde, Old Norse fifrildi. More distantly related to Latin papilio (“butterfly”), Old Prussian pepelis (“a bird”), Lithuanian papelučkà (“moth, owlling”).

Noun

vijfwouter m (plural vijfwouters, diminutive vijfwoutertje n)

1. (dated) butterfly