English word butterfly comes from Old English buttorflēoge
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| buttorflēoge | Old English (ang) | |
| boterflye | Middle English (enm) | |
| butterfly | English (en) | (transitive) To cut (food) almost entirely in half and spread the halves apart, in a shape suggesting the wings of a butterfly.. (transitive) To cut strips of surgical tape or plasters into thin strips, and place across (a gaping wound) to close it. (now, rare) Someone seen as being unserious and (originally) dressed gaudily; someone flighty and unreliable. [from 17th c.]. A flying insect of [...] |