Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
Schmetterling. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Schmetterling, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Schmetterling in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
Schmetterling you have here. The definition of the word
Schmetterling will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
Schmetterling, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
German
Etymology
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
Noun
Schmetterling m (strong, genitive Schmetterlings or Schmetterlinges, plural Schmetterlinge)
- (in common use) butterfly
- Synonyms: Tagfalter, (Switzerland) Sommervogel, (obsolete) Buttervogel, Butterfliege
- (chiefly biology) any insect of the order Lepidoptera, i.e. a butterfly or moth
- Synonym: Falter
- (swimming) butterfly (kind of stroke)
- Synonym: Delphin
Declension
Declension of Schmetterling
Hyponyms
See also
References
- ^ Schmetterling, in: W. Pfeifer et al., Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 1993.
Further reading
Hunsrik
Pronunciation
Noun
Schmetterling m (plural Schmetterling, diminutive Schmetterlingche)
- butterfly
Further reading