What is "butterfly"

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 Lepidoptera.

Note: [See Illust. under Aphrodite.]

Asclepias butterfly. See under Asclepias.

Butterfly fish (Zo["o]l.), the ocellated blenny ( Blennius ocellaris) of Europe. See Blenny. The term is also applied to the flying gurnard.

Butterfly shell (Zo["o]l.), a shell of the genus Voluta.

Butterfly valve (Mech.), a kind of double clack valve, consisting of two semicircular clappers or wings hinged to a cross rib in the pump bucket. When open it somewhat resembles a butterfly in shape.

Old English buttorfleoge, evidently butter (n.) + fly (n.), but of obscure signification. 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 Dutch cognate boterschijte. An overview of words for "butterfly" in various languages can be found here. Also see papillon.\n

\nApplied to persons from c.1600, originally in reference to vain and gaudy attire; by 1806 in reference to transformation from early lowly state; in reference to flitting tendencies by 1873. The swimming stroke so called from 1936. Butterflies "light stomach spasms caused by anxiety" is from 1908.\n\nThe 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]

n. 1 A flying insect of the order ''Lepidoptera'', distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring. (from 11th c.) 2 (context now rare English) Someone seen as being unserious and (originally) dressed gaudily; someone flighty and unreliable. (from 17th c.) 3 The butterfly stroke. (from 20th c.) 4 A use of surgical tape, cut into thin strips and placed across an open wound to hold it closed. vb. 1 To cut almost entirely in half and spread the halves apart, in a shape suggesting the wings of a butterfly. 2 To cut strips of surgical tape or plasters into thin strips, and place across a gaping wound to close it.

1. v. flutter like a butterfly

2. cut and spread open, as in preparation for cooking; "butterflied shrimp"

3. talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions; "The guys always try to chat up the new secretaries"; "My husband never flirts with other women" [syn: chat up, flirt, dally, coquet, coquette, romance, philander, mash]

1. n. diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings

2. a swimming stroke in which the arms are thrown forward together out of the water while the feet kick up and down [syn: butterfly stroke]

A butterfly is a flying insect.

Butterfly or butterflies may also refer to:

"Butterfly" is a song by American rock band Crazy Town. It was released in November 2000 as the third single from their album The Gift of Game. The song reached number-one in 15 countries, including the band's native United States. The song contains a sample of " Pretty Little Ditty" from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1989 album Mother's Milk. Featuring Josh McQuaid as the star tattoo on the right of the Crazy Town guy.

Butterflies are insects in the clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises the large superfamily Papilionoidea, along with two smaller groups, the skippers (superfamily Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (superfamily Hedyloidea). Butterfly fossils date to the Palaeocene, about 56 million years ago.

Butterflies have the typical four-stage insect life cycle. Winged adults lay eggs on the food plant on which their larvae, known as caterpillars, will feed. The caterpillars grow, sometimes very rapidly, and when fully developed pupate in a chrysalis. When metamorphosis is complete, the pupal skin splits, the adult insect climbs out and, after its wings have expanded and dried, it flies off. Some butterflies, especially in the tropics, have several generations in a year, while others have a single generation, and a few in cold locations may take several years to pass through their whole life cycle.

Butterflies are often polymorphic, and many species make use of camouflage, mimicry and aposematism to evade their predators. Some, like the monarch and the painted lady, migrate over long distances. Some butterflies have parasitoidal relationships with organisms including protozoans, flies, ants, and other invertebrates, and are predated by vertebrates. Some species are pests because in their larval stages they can damage domestic crops or trees; other species are agents of pollination of some plants, and caterpillars of a few butterflies (e.g., harvesters) eat harmful insects. Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.

Butterfly is the sixth studio album by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, released on September 16, 1997, by Columbia Records. The album contained both hip-hop and urban adult contemporary sounds, as well as some softer and more contemporary melodies. Throughout the project, Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she had written and produced most of the material from her previous albums. She also worked with many famed hip-hop producers and rappers, such as Sean "Puffy" Combs, Kamaal Fareed, Missy Elliott and the Trackmasters. With the latter acts producing most of the album, Butterfly deviated from the contemporary sound of Carey's older work, and was hailed as a defining album of the 1990s and R&B music.

With Butterfly, Carey continued the transition that began with previous album, Daydream (1995), which pushed her further into the R&B and hip-hop market and away from the R&B and pop background of her previous work. During her marriage to Tommy Mottola, Carey had little control over the creative and artistic steps she took on her albums; however, after their divorce midway through the album's conception, she was able to reflect her creative maturity and evolution in the album's writing and recording. Carey wrote in the booklet of her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009), that she considers Butterfly her magnum opus and a turning point in both her life and career.

Upon release, Butterfly garnered critical acclaim from contemporary music critics, many of whom embraced Carey's musical transition. Reviewers complimented the album for its mature sound and production and commended Carey's musical direction, calling the work a "transitional album, one that makes her a rarity of the 90s." Though released during Carey's heavily publicized conflict with Sony Music, the album became a commercial success, topping the albums chart in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands. On the Billboard 200, it debuted at number one, spending one week atop the chart. It was certified five-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and received the Million Award in Japan.

Five singles were released from the album; two worldwide commercial releases, and three limited promotional singles. " Honey," the record's lead single, topped the charts in the US and Canada and reached the top five in New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom. The album's fifth single, " My All," became a top ten hit throughout Europe and topped the charts in the US. To promote Butterfly, Carey embarked on the Butterfly World Tour, which visited Australia, Japan and Taiwan, with one show in the United States. Butterfly was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 40th annual ceremony, though it did not win any.

Butterfly is a 2004 Hong Kong film based on Taiwanese writer Xue Chen’s novel The Mark of Butterfly (蝴蝶的記號). The film was directed by female award-winning director Yan Yan Mak and produced by Jacqueline Liu and Yan Yan Mak with the sponsorship of Hong Kong Art Development Council.

In finance, a butterfly is a limited risk, non-directional options strategy that is designed to have a large probability of earning a limited profit when the future volatility of the underlying asset is expected to be lower than the implied volatility.

The Butterfly is a one-design sailing dinghy, originally designed for a crew of two, but now most commonly raced single-handed. It was designed in 1961 in Libertyville, Illinois by John Barnett. The hull is a scow design. The craft has a stayed mast set as a Marconi rig with a single mainsail with a surface area. The cockpit is 15 1/2", which is exceptionally deep for this size of sailbost, and can accommodate an adult to 6 feet in height.

"Butterfly" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album of the same name. It was released as the second single from the album on December 1, 1997 by Columbia Records. The song was written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff; both of them producing and arranging the song as well. "Butterfly" is a ballad combining elements of pop and gospel genres. Carey had originally conceived it as a house record with David Morales titled "Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)". After realizing how personal the lyrics were and how they could be applied to Butterfly, she wrote the album's title track with Afanasieff. On the song's lyrics, Carey sings to someone, telling them to spread their wings and release into the world on their own, like a butterfly.

The song's music video depicts Carey in an abandoned house, trapped in a desolate life. As the video progresses, she leaves, apparently for the first time in years, and runs into a nearby meadow. Towards the end, Carey jumps over a barbed fence and goes out into the world on a horse. The song's lyrics and video were directly connected to Carey's personal life at the time. "Butterfly" was performed live on the Late Show with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live and various European television programs. The song was also a permanent part of the set-list during her Butterfly World Tour during 1998. Due to current conflict with Columbia, "Butterfly" was never issued a commercial release, therefore hindering its charting ability. The song performed weakly on the charts, peaking outside the top twenty in most countries, except for New Zealand, where it peaked at number 15. In the United States, "Butterfly" was not eligible to chart on the Hot 100 due to Billboard rules at the time.

Butterfly is a 1982 film directed by Matt Cimber, based on the 1947 novel The Butterfly by James M. Cain. The starring cast includes Stacy Keach, Pia Zadora, Lois Nettleton, Ed McMahon, and Orson Welles. The original music score was composed by Ennio Morricone. The film was financed by Pia Zadora's husband, Israeli multimillionaire Meshulam Riklis, at an estimated cost of US$2,000,000.

It received 10 nominations for the 1982 Golden Raspberry Awards including "Worst Picture", with Zadora winning "Worst Actress" and "Worst New Star", and McMahon winning "Worst Supporting Actor". Nevertheless, Zadora won "Best Female Newcomer" at the Golden Globes for her role, over Elizabeth McGovern and Kathleen Turner. This occurred after her husband flew members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to Las Vegas to watch Pia sing, producing accusations that the award had been "bought".

This English language movie was filmed in color and ran for 108 minutes. It received a MPAA rating of R. The movie was distributed by Analysis Film Releasing Corporation.

In cinematography, butterflies (also known as overheads) are structures on which materials are mounted so to control lighting in a scene or photograph. Materials commonly used on butterflies include: flags (black, opaque materials), nets (layers of neutral-colored bobinette), and diffusions (translucent white materials of different densities) for the purposes of blocking, dimming, and scattering light respectively. In general, butterflies are used only for very large materials (6 ft x 6 ft or greater), while smaller sizes are usually sewn on to portable frames (similar in construction to picture frames) for ease of placement and storage.

"Butterfly" is a popular song written by Bernie Lowe and Kal Mann and published in 1957. The song is credited to Anthony September as songwriter in some sources. This was a pseudonym of Anthony Mammarella, producer of American Bandstand.

The original recording of the song by Charlie Gracie reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart, No. 10 on the R&B chart and No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart in 1957. A cover version by Andy Williams also reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart in 1957. Williams' version also reached No. 1 the UK in May 1957, where it spent two weeks, and also reached No. 14 on the US R&B chart.

A version recorded by Bob Carroll on Bally Records made the charts peaking at No. 61. The Crests recorded a cover version for their 1960 album, The Crests Sing All Biggies.

Butterfly (or Gulugufe in the Tonga language of Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique) is a two-player abstract strategy game. The game is related to draughts and Alquerque. It is a similar game to Lau kata kati from India which may suggest a historical connection between the two games.

Butterfly, which first aired on public television in 2000, is a documentary film directed by Doug Wolens about the environmental heroine and tree sitter Julia Butterfly Hill who gained the attention of the world for her two-year vigil 180 feet atop Luna, an ancient redwood tree preventing it from being clear-cut.

ButterFly is a studio album by Barbra Streisand, recorded and released in 1974. The credited producer is Streisand's then-boyfriend Jon Peters, with arrangements by Tom Scott. The album contains contemporary material from a diverse selection of writers, as well as interpretations of standards. In a 1992 interview with Larry King, Streisand cited ButterFly as the least favorite of her albums.

"Butterfly" is a wedding song by Japanese musician Kaela Kimura, released as a digital single on June 1, 2009, roughly a month before her fifth album, Hocus Pocus. It was extremely successful, reaching downloads of over 2,000,000 just over six months after its release. It is Kimura's most successful single digitally. Columbia released a special instrumental version of the song on February 14, 2010.

Butterfly is the second studio album released by British band The Hollies in 1967, their seventh in England overall. It was also the last new Hollies album to feature Graham Nash until 1983's What Goes Around. This, like its predecessors For Certain Because and Evolution, featured songs written solely by Allan Clarke, Graham Nash, and Tony Hicks.

As noted below, this album was really a Graham Nash-led project, and he featured as lead vocal more than on any prior album.

As with Evolution, none of the songs on the album were selected for single or EP release in the UK. In the US, "Dear Eloise" was issued as a single A-side while "Try It" and "Elevated Observations?" were issued as B-sides of the " Jennifer Eccles" and "Do The Best You Can" singles, respectively. In Canada the single "Dear Eloise" reached No. 36. The mono single and stereo CD versions of "Try It" differ greatly in terms of sound effects and vocals.

In 1978, Parlophone reissued Butterfly with new cover art, and again in 1999. Almost all current CD issues of this album contain the original cover art.

"Butterfly" is Japanese pop musician Kumi Koda's 16th domestic single. The single came in CD and CD+DVD. Because her previous single Hot Stuff feat. KM-MARKIT was re-cut to become the final single for secret, Butterfly became the first single for Best ~first things~. Butterfly won the 47th position at the Japan Record Award and placed 56th at NHK Red & White Singing Contest for the year.

Taisetsu na kimi e (大切な君へ / Important to you) was certified gold in full-length cellphone downloads.

Because of the single's success, it made Koda Kumi's ero-kawaii style spread across the high school community. The song had the overall concept of "all women will always be beautiful."

"Butterfly" is a song by Australian recording artist and songwriter Kylie Minogue from her seventh studio album Light Years (2000). The song was written by Minogue and Steven Anderson and was produced by DJ Mark Picchiotti. It was released as the sixth and first promotional single off her album.

The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, many saying it is an instant standout from the album. The song was originally issued to clubs in spring 2000 in the UK as a test pressing to gauge DJ reaction to Minogue's new material. "Butterfly" had been in the running to be the fourth single from Light Years, but due to its strong club influences it was pulled in favour of the radio-friendly " Please Stay". However, Mark Pichotti remixed the track and issued it in the United States through his own Blue2 label (a division of Blueplate Records), where it became a hit on the Billboard Dance music charts. The song had peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

"Butterfly" is a song by Swedish bubblegum dance group Smile.dk from their 1998 album Smile. It was written and produced by Robert Uhlmann and Robin Rex.

The song gained popularity outside of Sweden when it was included on the first version of Konami's music video game, Dance Dance Revolution and Dance Dance Revolution 3rdMix. In honor of its popularity, the song was remixed for the franchise's 2008 installment Dance Dance Revolution X, a mix primarily intended to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the series.

In 2009, the song was re-recorded with Veronica and Malin doing the vocals. This version was released as a single on May 13, 2009 and is called "Butterfly '09 (United Forces Airplay Edit)".

The song is often incorrectly attributed to J-pop star Ayumi Hamasaki. This error may be due to the ambiency style, production and voice. Also, the voices of both singers are quite similar. The error may also be due to the song being incorrectly attributed to Ayumi Hamasaki and distributed via P2P networks in the late '90s. The song is also often mistakenly credited to Aqua, likely for the same reasons.

South African band Die Antwoord sampled the song in their hit "Enter the Ninja" having heard it on Dance Dance Revolution X.

Butterfly is the debut studio album by the Colombian singer-songwriter Sara Tunes. It was released on June 6 on Colombia and October 15, 2010 in Latin America by EMI. Butterfly was her third studio album, but counted as a debut album as the other two had not had the success expected.

Butterfly is a 2015 Argentine drama film directed by Marco Berger. It was screened in the Panorama section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.

Butterfly also known as Butterfly Pictures was a film production company that produced and released films spanned as part of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company program from 1917 to 1918.

Butterfly is the code name for a hacking group discovered by Symantec. The Butterfly group is believed to be responsible for breaches on Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter during the year 2013. The group is believed to be composed of English-speaking attackers who operate during the EST zone.

"Butterfly" is a pop song, written and recorded by the French singer-songwriter, Danyel Gérard (born Gerard Daniel Khertakian, 7 March 1939, Paris) in the late 1960s. It was initially a hit in the French language.

In the early 1970s English language words were written, and Gerard recorded it again in the United States. In 1971 he also did German, Spanish and Italian versions. "Butterfly" was a very popular song internationally, selling over seven million copies. Many other musicians recorded it, both in instrumental and vocal versions. In the U.S., that list included Eydie Gormé, Goldie Hawn and Eddy Arnold.

The single was Number 1 in Germany for fifteen weeks in summer 1971. It reached Number 11 (and spent 12 weeks) in the UK Singles Chart in October 1971. Lack of further chart activity in the UK saw both singer and song branded as a one-hit wonder. It was a similar story in the U.S., where the Gerard's single peaked at #78 in the Billboard Hot 100. In Germany he had some more songs in the charts, like "Isabella" or "Meine Stadt".

Butterfly is the tenth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai , released on March 27, 2009 by Warner Music Taiwan. It has sold more than 130,000 copies in Taiwan and 1.5 million copies sold in Asia, becoming the best-selling album of 2009 in Taiwan. However, critics reacted negatively and commented the album a "confusing patchwork". The title track, "Butterfly", reached number 10 on the Hit FM annual singles chart. The lead single, "Real Man", the Chinese cover of American group Lexington Bridge song "Real Man", reached number 25 on the Hit FM annual singles chart. The second track, "Love Attraction", is the Chinese cover of French singer Vanessa Paradis song " Divine Idylle". The seventh track, "Slow Life", is the Chinese cover of Swedish singer Lena Philipsson song " It Hurts". The final track, "Hot Winter", is the Chinese cover of German group Monrose song " Hot Summer".

Butterfly is a 2009 young adult fiction novel by Sonya Hartnett about the troubled adolescence of Plum Coyle, set in 1980s Australian suburbia. The Blurb is; Plum Coyle is on the edge of adolescence. Her fourteenth birthday is approaching, when her old life and her old body will fall away, and she will become graceful, powerful, and at ease. The strength of the objects she stores in a briefcase under her bed —a crystal lamb, a yoyo, an antique watch, a coin —will make sure of it. Over the next couple of weeks, Plum’s life will change. Her beautiful neighbor Maureen will begin to show Plum how she might fly. The older brothers she adores will court catastrophe in worlds that she barely knows exist. And her friends, her worst enemies, will tease and test, smelling weakness. They will try to lead her on and take her down

"Butterfly" is the third single from the South Korean singer G-Dragon's first album Heartbreaker. It was released about a month after the release of his song " Breathe".

Although the end of his "Breathe" music video included a teaser for his song "A Boy", the song "Butterfly" was released first. In contrast to his previous singles (which were more upbeat, "Butterfly" has a slower tempo. G-Dragon himself describes the song as "calming" while the critic for the Newsen described it as "romantic", stating that the song has an "exotic romantic rap lyrics [...and] sweet harmony vocals that appeal particularly to couples in love." The song went to the top of various charts upon its release.

Butterfly is the twelfth album by the Japanese rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel. It was released on February 8, 2012, in two versions: regular and limited editions, with the latter including the first album by their alter ego band P'unk-en-Ciel, titled P'unk Is Not Dead, and a DVD. The album is also set to be released in several European countries, starting on March 5, 2012, with the United Kingdom and finishing on March 17 with Spain and Poland.

The band's first studio album in four years, it includes all six singles (including one double A-side single) released between " Drink It Down" in 2008 and " Chase" in 2011. Butterfly debuted at #1 on the Oricon chart, selling over 170,000 copies in its first week.