- Main Entry:
- 1but·ter·fly
- Pronunciation:
-
\-ˌflī\
- Function:
- noun
- Usage:
- often attributive
- Date:
- before 12th century
1: any of numerous slender-bodied diurnal lepidopteran insects including one superfamily (Papilionoidea) with broad often brightly colored wings and usually another superfamily comprising the skippers2: something that resembles or suggests a butterfly
; especially : a person chiefly occupied with the pursuit of pleasure3: a swimming stroke executed in a prone position by moving both arms in a circular motion while kicking both legs up and down4plural : a feeling of hollowness or queasiness caused especially by emotional or nervous tension or anxious anticipation5: a defensive move by a goalie in ice hockey executed by dropping to the knees while spreading the lower legs outward
