boterflye

Middle English

Alternative forms

• butreflye, buttyrfle, butter-flyeȝ, buterflie, butturflye, buttirflye, botreflee, boterfleȝe, buterfliȝe, butterflie, botirflij, botirflye, butterfflye, buttyrflye

Etymology

From Old English buttorflēoge, buterflēoge; equivalent to buter +‎ flye.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbutərˌfliː(ə)/, /ˈbutərˌflei̯(ə)/
• (Northern) IPA^(key): /ˈbutərˌflei̯/ (earlier), /ˈbutərˌfleː/ (later)

Noun

boterflye (plural boterflyes or boterflien)

1. butterfly (insect of the order Lepidoptera)
2. (rare) Something of little import or value.
3. (rare) A chameleon.

Descendants

• English: butterfly
• Scots: butterflee

References

• “buter-flīe, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 10 September 2018.