Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “buterflie” come from?

buterflie (Middle English) comes from Old English buterflēoge, from Old English butere, from Proto-West Germanic buterā, from Latin būtȳrum, from Ancient Greek βούτυρον, from Ancient Greek τυρός, from Proto-Hellenic tūrós, from Proto-Indo-European tuh₂-ró-s — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.

buterflie (Middle English): Alternative form of boterflye

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of boterflye

Ancestry of “buterflie”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbuterflēoge—
2Old Englishbuterebutter
3Proto-West Germanicbuterābutter
4Latinbūtȳrum—
5Ancient Greekβούτυρονbutter
6Ancient Greekτυρόςcheese
7Proto-Hellenictūrós—
8Proto-Indo-Europeantuh₂-ró-s—
9Proto-Indo-Europeantewh₂-to swell; to crowd; to be strong

Words derived from “buterflie”

  • butterfly
  • butterflyfish
  • butterflylike
  • butterflier
  • butterfly nut
  • butterfly knife
  • バタフライ
  • bataplai
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- →