From the North American Butterfly Association:
What is the origin of the word "butterfly."
No one really knows the origin of this word. It is possible that it arose from the butter-yellow color of common European butterflies called sulphurs.
No one really knows the origin of this word. It is possible that it arose from the butter-yellow color of common European butterflies called sulphurs.
Simply aint so. I had a traditional English education, and my favorite teacher, Mrs. Harvey was a wonderful older lady straight out of the Victorian Era. She routinely called those wonderful insects "flutterbys". And think, what does a butterfly do? It flutters by.