butterfly

plural butterflies

1. A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring.First known use 11th c.

   It is true. I am like a butterfly, and I shall only live a little while.

   a. 1931 (date written), D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “[Personalia and Fragments.] [Autobiographical Fragment].”, in Edward D[avid] McDonald, editor, Phoenix: The Posthumous Papers of D. H. Lawrence, London: William Heinemann, published 1936, →OCLC, page 836

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   Dr Andre Gilburn, of the University of Stirling, who led the butterfly study, said: “Our study not only identifies a worrying link between the use of neonicotinoids and declines in butterflies but also suggests that the strength of their impact on many species could be huge.”

   2015 November 24, Patrick Barkham, “Pesticide may be reason butterfly numbers are falling in UK, says study”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 05 Mar 2016

   1. broadlyThe imago (final form) of such an insect, consisting usually of a long body with large flat wings, as opposed to earlier instars such as caterpillar or pupa.

      Then he nibbled a hole in the cocoon, pushed his way out and he was a beautiful butterfly!

      1969, Eric Carle, The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2. attributivemedicineA use of surgical tape, cut into thin strips and placed across an open wound to hold it closed.

   butterfly tape; butterfly bandage; butterfly strips

3. hobbiesThe butterfly stroke.First known use 20th c.
4. Any of several plane curves that look like a butterfly; see Butterfly curve (transcendental) and Butterfly curve (algebraic).
5. abbreviationellipsisin pluralEllipsis of butterflies in one’s stomach (“A sensation of excited anxiety felt in the stomach”).

   I get terrible butterflies before an exam.

6. archaicSomeone seen as being unserious and (originally) dressed gaudily; someone flighty and unreliable.First known use 17th c.

   He was affable; therefore he was frivolous. The women liked him; therefore he was a butterfly.

   1859, George Meredith, chapter 15, in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. A History of Father and Son. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC

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   The day came indeed when her breathless auditors learnt from her in bewilderment that what ailed him was that he was, alas, simply not serious. Maisie wept on Mrs. Wix's bosom after hearing that Sir Claude was a butterfly[…].

   1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew

7. businessA combination of four options of the same type at three strike prices giving limited profit and limited risk.
8. alternate historyA random change in an aspect of the timeline seemingly unrelated to the primary point of divergence, resulting from the butterfly effect.

   One potential butterfly could be JFK having another son the year after the POD instead of a daughter.

9. hobbiesA type of stretch in which one sits on the ground with the legs folded into a shape like that of a butterfly's wings, slightly rocking them up and down, resembling the wings fluttering.
10. A person who changes partners frequently.

    What does it mean to be a butterfly in Pattaya? It means, just like a butterfly briefly visits many flowers, you will briefly visit many different girls.

    2022 December 9, Darren C, “Paying For Bar Girls, Sex in Pattaya”, in Pattaya Unlimited

11. businessA safety link or detaching hook above the cage attached to the winding rope to prevent the cage from being overwound.
12. PhilippinePhilippinesderogatoryoftengovernmentparty switcher; turncoat.

    Synonyms: balimbing, apostate, balimbing, changeling, defector, runagate, traitor, transfuge

present singular third person butterflies · participle present butterflying · participle past butterflied · past butterflied

1. transitiveTo cut (food) almost entirely in half and spread the halves apart, in a shape suggesting the wings of a butterfly.

   butterflied shrimp

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   Butterfly the chicken before you grill it.

2. transitiveTo cut strips of surgical tape or plasters into thin strips, and place across (a gaping wound) to close it.

   After everyone had obeyed his commands, the lieutenant motioned for two medics that now appeared to enter the room and attend to Dr. Carter. They bandaged him up, butterflying some of the deeper gashes and gave him a couple of shots.

   2006, Paul Garber, Newton's Force, page 256

3. transitiveTo cause events after the point of divergence to not happen as they did in real history, and people conceived after the point of divergence to not exist in recognizable form, due to the random variations introduced by the butterfly effect.

   Pearl Harbor not happening would've butterflied Taylor Swift.