butterflying

Variant of butterfly

butterfly definition

but·ter·fly (-flī′)

noun pl. butterflies -·flies′

  1. any of various families of lepidopteran insects active in the daytime, having a sucking mouthpart, slender body, ropelike, knobbed antennae, and four broad, usually brightly colored, membranous wings
  2. a person, esp. a woman, thought of as flitting about like a butterfly and being frivolous, fickle, etc.
    1. butterfly stroke
    2. a contest in which each contestant uses a butterfly stroke

Etymology: ME buterflie < OE buttorfleoge (see butter & fly): in folklore, it is thought to steal milk or butter

adjective

resembling a butterfly, esp. in having parts that are spread out like wings butterfly chair, butterfly table

transitive verb butterflied -·flied′, butterflying -·fly′·ing

to slice (a pork chop, shrimp, etc.) most of the way through and spread open before cooking
butterfly Idioms

butterflies (in one's stomach)

an uneasy feeling, as in the abdomen, caused esp. by nervous anticipation

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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