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🇫🇷French Source WordCode: FR

papillon

Pronunciation / Transliteration: /pa.pi.jɔ̃/

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Butterfly/ˈbʌt.ə.flaɪ/
nounCEFR A2 (Elementary)Top #4500 frequency
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🇫🇷 Example Sentence in French:

"Un beau papillon vole dans le jardin."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A flying insect with large, often brightly colored wings, developed from a caterpillar.

    "A magnificent blue butterfly landed gently on the garden flower."
  2. 2

    A swimming stroke performed on the chest with both arms thrown forward together above the water.

    "She won the gold medal after dominating the 100-meter butterfly event."
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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Old English 'butorflēge', combining 'butor' (butter) and 'flēge' (fly), possibly reflecting a folk belief that butterflies stole milk or butter or due to the yellowish color of some species' excrement. The term has remained remarkably stable across centuries while evolving to represent beauty, transformation, and fragility.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Butterfly"?

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Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Butterfly"

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