What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Butterfly vs Moths - What's the difference?

butterfly | moths |

As nouns the difference between butterfly and moths

is that butterfly is a flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring while moths is plural of moth.

As a verb butterfly

is to cut almost entirely in half and spread the halves apart, in a shape suggesting the wings of a butterfly.

butterfly

English

(Butterfly) (wikipedia butterfly)

Noun

(butterflies)
  • A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera , distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring.
  • * 1897 , Henry James, What Maisie Knew :
    • The day came indeed when her breathless auditors learnt from her in bewilderment that what ailed him was that he was, alas, simply not serious. Maisie wept on Mrs. Wix's bosom after hearing that Sir Claude was a butterfly [...].
  • The butterfly stroke.
  • A use of surgical tape, cut into thin strips and placed across an open wound to hold it closed.
    • butterfly tape

    Synonyms

    * (l)

    Derived terms

    * butterflies in one's stomach * butterfly ballot * butterfly banners * butterfly bat * butterfly bomb * butterfly bush (see buddleia or buddleja) * butterfly chair * butterfly clam * butterfly collector (see lepidopterist or lepidopterology) * butterfly cod * butterfly crab * butterfly dam * butterfly damper * butterfly effect * butterfly fish * butterfly flower (see schizanthus) * butterfly hinge * butterfly knife * butterfly knot * butterfly lily * butterfly mussel * butterfly net * butterfly nut (wing nut) * butterfly orchid * butterfly pea * butterfly plant * butterfly ray * butterfly shell * butterfly stroke (swimming) * butterfly table * butterfly tulip * butterfly valve * butterfly weed * butterfly window * float like a butterfly * peacock butterfly * social butterfly

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • To cut almost entirely in half and spread the halves apart, in a shape suggesting the wings of a butterfly.
    • butterflied shrimp
    Butterfly the chicken before you grill it.
  • To cut strips of surgical tape or plasters into thin strips, and place across a gaping wound to close it.

    • See also

    * caterpillar * flutterby * moth * *

    Anagrams

    * (l)

    References

    ----

    moths

    English

    Noun

    (head)