Re: Butterflies
| From: | Larry Sulky <larrysulky@...> |
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| Date: | Thursday, November 3, 2005, 17:12 |
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On 11/3/05, Raivo Seppo <uiracocha@...> wrote:
> A newcomer in the list proposes to extend the theme: what are the
> roots/words semantically connected to the term ´butterfly`or is the term an
> independent one? It´s quite obvious in English (butter-fly, OE butorfleoge)
> or, perhaps, in Estonian - ´liblikas´ is derived from ´lible`(a
> grass-blade). As I remember, Greek ´psyche´also referred to the insect,
> being appositely animistic in that connection.
>
I had always heard that this word was originally "flutter-by", but
through some humourous linguistic process got tied up with the concept
of "fly" (the insect) and so became "butter-fly", then just
"butterfly". Is this just a cute etymological myth?
---larry
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