Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “butterflylike” come from?

butterflylike (English) comes from English Butterfly, from Middle English boterflye, from Old English buterflēoge, from Old English butere, from Proto-West Germanic buterā, from Latin būtȳrum, from Ancient Greek βούτυρον, from Ancient Greek τυρός — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.

butterflylike (English): Resembling or characteristic of a butterfly

Definitions

  1. Resembling or characteristic of a butterfly

Ancestry of “butterflylike”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishButterfly—
2Middle Englishboterflyebutterfly; Something of little import or value; A...
3Old Englishbuterflēoge—
4Old Englishbuterebutter
5Proto-West Germanicbuterābutter
6Latinbūtȳrum—
7Ancient Greekβούτυρονbutter
8Ancient Greekτυρόςcheese
9Proto-Hellenictūrós—
10Proto-Indo-Europeantuh₂-ró-s—
11Proto-Indo-Europeantewh₂-to swell; to crowd; to be strong
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- →