Definition of butterfly Butterfly

/bʌˈtɚflajˌ/ - [buterflay] - but•ter•fly

We found 14 definitions of butterfly from 6 different sources.

What does butterfly mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: butterflies
butterfly - diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings
		lepidopteran, lepidopteron, lepidopterous insect insect that in the adult state has four wings more or less covered with tiny scales
		brush-footed butterfly, four-footed butterfly, nymphalid, nymphalid butterfly medium to large butterflies found worldwide typically having brightly colored wings and much-reduced nonfunctional forelegs carried folded on the breast
		ringlet butterfly, ringlet any of various butterflies belonging to the family Satyridae
		danaid, danaid butterfly large tropical butterfly with degenerate forelegs and an unpleasant taste
		pierid, pierid butterfly any of numerous pale-colored butterflies having three pairs of well-developed legs
		sulfur butterfly, sulphur butterfly any of numerous yellow or orange butterflies
butterfly - a swimming stroke in which the arms are thrown forward together out of the water while the feet kick up and down
		butterfly stroke
		swimming stroke a method of moving the arms and legs to push against the water and propel the swimmer forward
Verb butterflies, butterflying, butterflown
butterfly - cut and spread open, as in preparation for cooking; "butterflied shrimp"
		unfold, spread out, spread, open spread out or open from a closed or folded state; "open the map"; "spread your arms"
		cookery, cooking, preparation the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat; "cooking can be a great art"; "people are needed who have experience in cookery"; "he left the preparation of meals to his wife"
butterfly - flutter like a butterfly
		flit, fleet, dart, flutter move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart; "The hummingbird flitted among the branches"
butterfly - talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions; "The guys always try to chat up the new secretaries"; "My husband never flirts with other women"
		chat up, flirt, dally, coquet, coquette, romance, philander, mash
		speak, talk use language; "the baby talks already"; "the prisoner won't speak"; "they speak a strange dialect"
		wanton behave extremely cruelly and brutally
		vamp provide (a shoe) with a new vamp; "revamp my old boots"

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Wiktionary

butterfly (Noun)
A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring.
butterfly (Noun)
The butterfly stroke .
butterfly (Noun)
A use of surgical tape, cut into thin strips and placed across an open wound to hold it closed.
butterfly (Verb)
To cut almost entirely in half and spread the halves apart, in a shape suggesting the wings of a butterfly.
butterfly (Verb)
To cut strips of surgical tape or plasters into thin strips, and place across a gaping wound to close it.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

butterfly (n.)
A general name for the numerous species of diurnal Lepidoptera.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

butterfly
A lepidopteran that is active at day.

Wikipedia

A butterfly is a flying insect. It is closely related to the moth. A butterfly has four wings which are covered with furry scales. When a butterfly is not flying, their wings are usually folded upwards. The wings are patterned and are often brightly coloured. Their are many different types of butterflies, coloured and patterned differently. The males and females of each type are often slightly different from each other. Butterfly watching is a popular hobby. Some people also keep collections of dead butterflies that they have caught.

As with most insects, a butterfly's life begins as an egg. Then it hatches into a larva (caterpillar). After some time, the larva turns into a chrysalis (like a cocoon). While it is in the "chrysalis", it becomes a butterfly. The butterfly then hatches out and lays more eggs. Butterflies have very short life spans that last about a week.

Survival.

Butterflies are in trouble because of habitat loss. Because of the destruction of forests and grasslands, some types of butterflies have nowhere to feed and lay eggs. To help, some people plant a butterfly garden with flowers having lots of nectar for a butterflies to feed on. Some people also keep plants that butterflies lay eggs on, and enjoy watching the caterpillars hatch out and feed on the plant. Chemical sprays that are used to keep pests away from garden plants, also kill betterflies.

Butterflies have many enemies, for example ants, birds, spiders, and frogs.

Jays are very common predators for b