German edit

Etymology edit

Attested ca. 1500, standard since the 18th century. From an East Central German dialect word, equivalent to Schmetten (cream) +‎ -ling, due to an old belief that butterflies eat milk products or, in a more ornamented form, that witches transform themselves into butterflies in order to steal such products.[1] Compare English butterfly.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈʃmɛtərlɪŋ/, [ˈʃmɛ.tɐ.lɪŋ]
  • (file)

Noun edit

Schmetterling m (strong, genitive Schmetterlings or Schmetterlinges, plural Schmetterlinge)

  1. (in common use) butterfly
    Synonyms: Tagfalter, (Switzerland) Sommervogel, (obsolete) Buttervogel, Butterfliege
  2. (chiefly biology) any insect of the order Lepidoptera, i.e. a butterfly or moth
    Synonym: Falter
  3. (swimming) butterfly (kind of stroke)
    Synonym: Delphin

Declension edit

Hyponyms edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Schmetterling, in: W. Pfeifer et al., Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 1993.

Further reading edit

Hunsrik edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

Schmetterling m (plural Schmetterling, diminutive Schmetterlingche)

  1. butterfly

Further reading edit