butterfly

butterfly
butterflylike, adj., adv.
/but"euhr fluy'/, n., pl. butterflies, v., butterflied, butterflying, adj.
n.
1. any of numerous diurnal insects of the order Lepidoptera, characterized by clubbed antennae, a slender body, and large, broad, often conspicuously marked wings.
2. a person who flits aimlessly from one interest or group to another: a social butterfly.
3. butterflies, (used with a pl. v.) Informal. a queasy feeling, as from nervousness, excitement, etc.
4. a racing breaststroke, using a dolphin kick, in which the swimmer brings both arms out of the water in forward, circular motions.
5. Carpentry. See butterfly wedge.
6. Sculpture. an X-shaped support attached to an armature.
7. one of the swinging brackets of a butterfly table.
8. Motion Pictures. a screen of scrim, gauze, or similar material, for diffusing light.
v.t.
9. Cookery. to slit open and spread apart to resemble the spread wings of a butterfly.
adj. Also, butterflied.
10. Cookery. split open and spread apart to resemble a butterfly: butterfly shrimp; butterfly steak.
[bef. 1000; ME boterflye, OE buttorfleoge. See BUTTER, FLY2]

* * *

I
Any of more than 17,000 lepidopteran species found worldwide.

Unlike moths, butterflies are active during the day and are usually brightly coloured or strikingly patterned. Distinctive features are club-tipped antennae and a habit of holding the wings vertically over the back when at rest. With few exceptions the larvae and adults eat plants. Butterflies are classified into five or six families. The metalmarks of the family Lycaenidae are found chiefly in the New World tropics; some members of the family Nymphalidae are called snout butterflies. Other species (with their families) include the white and sulphur butterflies (Pieridae), the swallowtail butterfly (Papilionidae), the blue, copper, and hairstreak butterflies (Lycaenidae), and the admiral, monarch, and painted lady (Nymphalidae).
II
(as used in expressions)

* * *

insect
 any of 14,000 species of insects (insect) belonging to four families. Butterflies, along with the moths (moth) and the skippers (skipper), make up the insect order Lepidoptera (lepidopteran). Butterflies are nearly worldwide in their distribution.

      The wings, bodies, and legs, like those of moths, are covered with dustlike scales (scale) that come off when the animal is handled. Unlike moths (moth), butterflies are active during the day and are usually brightly coloured or strikingly patterned. Perhaps the most distinctive physical features of the butterfly are its club-tipped antennae and its habit of holding the wings vertically over the back when at rest. The lepidopteran life cycle has four stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult (imago). The larvae and adults of most butterflies feed on plants, often only specific parts of specific types of plants.

  The four butterfly families are: Pieridae, the whites (white butterfly) and sulfurs (sulfur butterfly), known for their mass migrations; Papilionidae, the swallowtails (swallowtail butterfly) and parnassians (parnassian butterfly) (the latter sometimes considered a separate family, Parnassiidae); Lycaenidae (gossamer-winged butterfly), including the blues (blue butterfly), coppers (copper butterfly), hairstreaks (hairstreak), gossamer-winged butterflies (gossamer-winged butterfly), and metalmarks (metalmark) (the latter found chiefly in the American tropics and sometimes classified as family Riodinidae); and Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterfly), the brush-footed butterflies. Nymphalidae is the largest and most diverse family, and it is divided by some authorities into several families. The brush-footed butterflies include such popular butterflies as the admirals (admiral), fritillaries, monarchs (monarch butterfly), zebras, and painted ladies (painted lady). See also lepidopteran for more detailed coverage.

Additional Reading
John Feltwell, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Butterflies (1993, reissued 2001), offers information on the ecology and observation of butterflies in addition to photographs and descriptions of more than 1,000 of the world's species. V. J. Stanek, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Butterflies and Moths, ed. by Brian Turner, trans. from the Czech by Vera Gissing (1977, reissued 1993); and Mauro Daccordi, Paolo Triberti, and Adriano Zanetti, The Macdonald Encyclopedia of Butterflies and Moths (1988), provide highly illustrated and authoritative accounts of the world's Lepidoptera. Sharman Apt Russell, An Obsession with Butterflies: Our Long Love Affair with a Singular Insect (2003), combines discussions of natural history with anecdotes, mythology, symbolism, and other examples of the fascination that individuals and cultures have had with lepidopterans.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Butterfly — (engl. für ‚Schmetterling‘) steht für: Butterflymesser oder Balisong, eine Klappmesserart Butterfly (Finanzwesen), eine Investitionsstrategie Butterfly Verschluss, einen stabilen Verschluss, besonders an Transportkisten Venenverweilkanüle, eine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ButterFly — ButterFly …   Википедия

  • Butterfly — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Butterfly (en inglés: mariposa) puede referirse: Contenido 1 Música 1.1 Álbumes 1.2 Canciones 2 V …   Wikipedia Español

  • 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

  • butterfly — m DEFINICIJA v. baterflaj …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • butterfly — ► NOUN 1) an insect with two pairs of large, typically colourful wings held erect when at rest, feeding on nectar and active by day. 2) a showy or frivolous person. 3) (butterflies) informal a fluttering and nauseous sensation felt in the stomach …   English terms dictionary

  • Butterfly — calesButterflies are characterized by their scale covered wings.The coloration of butterfly wings is created by minute scales. These scales are pigmented with melanins that give them blacks and browns, but blues, greens, reds and iridescence are… …   Wikipedia

  • Butterfly — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Sur les autres projets Wikimedia : « Butterfly », sur le Wiktionnaire (dictionnaire universel) Butterfly est le mot anglais qui signifie… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”