butterfly

butterfly
\ \ [OE] A number of theories have been put forward as to how the butterfly got its name.
\ \ Perhaps the most generally accepted is that it is a reflection of a once-held notion that butterflies land on and consume butter or milk left uncovered in kitchen or dairy (an idea perhaps supported by the German name for the ‘butterfly’, milchdieb, literally ‘milk-thief’).
\ \ Other suggestions are that the word is a reference to the yellow wings of certain species of the insect, or to the colour of butterflies’ excrement.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • butterfly — [but′ərflī΄] n. pl. butterflies [ME buterflie < OE buttorfleoge (see BUTTER & FLY2): in folklore, it is thought to steal milk or butter] 1. any of various families of lepidopteran insects active in the daytime, having a sucking mouthpart,… …   English World dictionary

  • Butterfly — But ter*fly , n.; pl. {Butterflies}. [Perh. from the color of a yellow species. AS. buter fl[=e]ge, buttor fle[ o]ge; cf. G. butterfliege, D. botervlieg. See {Butter}, and {Fly}.] (Zo[ o]l.) A general name for the numerous species of diurnal… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • butterfly — O.E. buttorfleoge, perhaps based on the old notion that the insects (or witches disguised as butterflies) consume butter or milk that is left uncovered. Or, less creatively, simply because the pale yellow color of many species wings suggests the… …   Etymology dictionary

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