/ˈbʌt.ə.flaɪ/

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Line drawing of butterfly
Coloured illustration of butterfly
#2,916 of 3,000Core 5000

Meaning

An insect with large, colourful wings that flies from flower to flower.

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Word origin

From Old English buttorfleoge, joining butter and fly; why butter was chosen is not certain.

Origin
Old English
Root
buttorfleoge
English cognates
butter, fly

Grammar

Gender
Pluralbutterfliesirregular

Examples

landed .

A butterfly is an insect with large, colourful wings.

.

"Butterflies" is the plural; the y changes to ies.

.

Having butterflies means feeling nervous about something.

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English · Free printables

butterfly: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the English word "butterfly" (An insect with large, colourful wings that flies from flower to flower.): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is taught in chapter 32, lesson 2: butterfly, rib, effective and 7 more words.