Schmetterling

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
  • IPA(key): /ˈʃmɛtərlɪŋ/, [ˈʃmɛ.tɐ.lɪŋ]
  • audio (Germany)(file)

Noun

Schmetterling m (strong, genitive Schmetterlings or Schmetterlinges, plural Schmetterlinge)

  1. (in common use) butterfly
    Synonyms: Tagfalter, (Switzerland) Sommervogel, (obsolete) Buttervogel, Butterfliege
  2. (chiefly biology) any insect of the order Lepidoptera, i.e. a butterfly or moth
    Synonym: Falter
  3. (swimming) butterfly (kind of stroke)
    Synonym: Delphin

Declension
Declension of Schmetterling [masculine, strong]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Schmetterling die Schmetterlinge
genitive eines des Schmetterlings, Schmetterlinges der Schmetterlinge
dative einem dem Schmetterling, Schmetterlinge1 den Schmetterlingen
accusative einen den Schmetterling die Schmetterlinge

1Now rare, see notes.

Hyponyms

See also

References
  1. Schmetterling, in: W. Pfeifer et al., Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, 1993.

Further reading

Hunsrik

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈʃmetɐliŋ/

Noun

Schmetterling m (plural Schmetterling, diminutive Schmetterlingche)

  1. butterfly

Further reading
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