ENGLISH
REFERENCE

butterfly

n. · v.
US //ˈbətɝˌfɫaɪ// UK //bˈʌtəflˌaɪ// but·ter·fly
  1. 1 the insect (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a flying insect with four large, often brightly coloured wings.

    a diurnal insect of the order Lepidoptera, characterised by large, typically colourful wings and a slender body.

    Example

    A bright yellow butterfly landed on the flower in the garden.

    Example

    The biologist spent the afternoon documenting the migration patterns of the monarch butterfly across the southern plains.

  2. 2 swimming style (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Sport

    a difficult swimming stroke where you move both arms together in a circle.

    a swimming stroke performed in a prone position where both arms are moved symmetrically and simultaneously.

    Example

    She won the gold medal in the 100-metre butterfly.

    Example

    The athlete's powerful butterfly technique allowed him to maintain a significant lead during the final lap of the medley.
    • butterfly stroke
  3. 3 nervous feeling (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    a nervous or excited feeling in your stomach.

    a physical sensation of fluttering or slight nausea in the stomach caused by anxiety or anticipation.

    Example

    I always get butterflies in my stomach before I have to give a speech.

    Example

    Despite her years of experience on stage, she still felt butterflies before the curtain rose on opening night.
  4. 4 finance strategy (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Law

    a way of trading options that limits both risk and profit.

    an options strategy combining bull and bear spreads with a fixed risk and capped profit potential.

    Example

    The trader used a butterfly to protect his portfolio from big price changes.

    Example

    The fund manager executed a complex butterfly spread to capitalise on the low volatility expected in the energy sector over the next quarter.
    • butterfly spread
  5. 5 medical tape (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Medicine

    a small piece of medical tape used to hold the edges of a cut together.

    a narrow adhesive strip used to approximate the edges of a shallow wound in place of sutures.

    Example

    The doctor used a butterfly to close the small cut on my finger.

    Example

    Since the laceration was clean and shallow, the emergency room physician opted for a butterfly closure rather than traditional stitches.
    • butterfly stitch
    • butterfly bandage
  6. 6 to cut food open (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Cooking

    to cut a piece of meat or fish almost in half so it opens up like wings.

    to split a piece of meat, poultry, or fish nearly in half and spread it flat to ensure even cooking.

    Example

    You should butterfly the chicken breast so it cooks faster on the grill.

    Example

    The chef demonstrated how to butterfly the leg of lamb to allow the marinade to penetrate the meat more effectively.
Origin

From Middle English buterflie, butturflye, boterflye, from Old English buterflēoge, equivalent to butter + fly. Cognate with Dutch botervlieg, German Butterfliege (“butterfly”). The name may have originally been applied to butterflies of a yellowish color, or reflected a belief that butterflies ate milk and butter (compare German Molkendieb (“butterfly”, literally “whey-thief”) and Low German Botterlicker (“butterfly”, literally “butter-licker”)), or that they excreted a butter-like substance (compare Dutch boterschijte (“butterfly”, literally “butter-excretor”)). Compare also German Schmetterling from Schmetten (“cream”), German Low German Bottervögel (“butterfly”, literally “butter-fowl”). More at butter, fly. An alternate theory suggests that the first element may have originally been Old English butor- (“beater”), a mutation of bēatan (“to beat”), but this would not explain the cognates in other languages or the other names formed with milk products. Superseded non-native Middle English papilion (“butterfly”) borrowed from Old French papillon (“butterfly”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Last updated June 20, 2026