butterfly

butterfly
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 color of butter. Another theory connects it to the color of the insect's excrement, based on Du. cognate boterschijte. A fascinating overview of words for "butterfly" in various languages can be found ↑http://www.insects.org/ced4/etymology.html here. The swimming stroke so called from 1936. Butterflies "light stomach spasms caused by anxiety" is from 1908.
The butterfly effect is a deceptively simple insight extracted from a complex modern field. As a low-profile assistant professor in MIT's department of meteorology in 1961, [Edward] Lorenz created an early computer program to simulate weather. One day he changed one of a dozen numbers representing atmospheric conditions, from .506127 to .506. That tiny alteration utterly transformed his long-term forecast, a point Lorenz amplified in his 1972 paper, "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?" [Peter Dizikes, "The Meaning of the Butterfly," The Boston Globe, June 8, 2008]

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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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 — 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

  • 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… …   Universalium

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