Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A beetle of the family Coccinellidæ, order Coleoptera, so called from its graceful form and delicate coloration.
- noun The pintail duck, Dafila acuta: so called from its graceful form.
- noun A lady-love; a sweetheart: often used as a term of endearment.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of small beetles of the genus Coccinella and allied genera (family
Coccinellidæ ); -- called alsoladybug ,ladyclock ,lady cow ,lady fly ,ladybeetle , andlady beetle .Coccinella seplempunctata in one of the common European species. Seecoccinella .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of the Coccinellidae family of
beetles , typically having a round shape and red or yellowspotted elytra .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun small round bright-colored and spotted beetle that usually feeds on aphids and other insect pests
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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-- And why do the people in Suffolk call a ladybird "Bishop Barnaby?"
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The Finnish word for ladybird translates to Blood Gertrude.
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There are about 5,000 species of ladybugs, also known as ladybird beetles, with about 450 species in the United States, Losey said.
MPNnow Home RSS 2008
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There are about 5,000 species of ladybugs, also known as ladybird beetles, with about 450 species in the United States, Losey said.
NBC3 - Local News 2008
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So when I married I had sixty shirts, and many other things — sewn by my mother and my aunt, all with my initial, and the ladybird, which is our crest.’
The Ladybird 2003
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MARIQUITA Mariquita (Spanish for 'ladybird') is the sole survivor of the
YBW News 2010
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A special YogaBugs session – face-painting and dressing up as a ladybird or caterpillar is optional – will offer a chance for over-excited souls to unwind a little.
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The first of these introductions begins on Thursday with the release of 30 ladybird spiders into the RSPB's Arne reserve in Dorset.
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It is the mature male ladybird spiders that have the bright red bodies covered in small black spots, which give the species its name.
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Both girls had some trouble understanding his accent, and they were thrown off by his use of "ladybird" instead of "ladybug" when referring to the red-and-white sweater Gabby wants for Christmas.
You Gotta Believe: Comparing Santa Video Chats Elizabeth Garone 2011
sionnach commented on the word ladybird
In Devonshire the lady-bird is " God-a'mighty cow " ; in Lincolnshire, " cow-lady " or " lamb-lady" ; in France, " Vache a Dieu," " bete a bon Dieu," and " bete a Martin."
The German is " Marienkafer " (Mary's chafer) or " Sonnenkafer " (sun-chafer).
(Notes and Queries, 1907, page 10)
January 31, 2009
garyth123 commented on the word ladybird
Meeldauwlieveheersbeestje in Dutch.
January 31, 2009
Prolagus commented on the word ladybird
Coccinella in Italian (from Latin, "little scarlet lady").
January 31, 2009
sionnach commented on the word ladybird
Pro: Does coccinella bear any relationship to cochineal? I seem to recall that cochineal used to be obtained by grinding up the bodies of scarlet insects of some kind.
garyth: does 'meeldauwlieveheersbeestje' have a literal translation?
February 1, 2009
garyth123 commented on the word ladybird
It seems to mean 'Our Lord's beast', or at least that is what the lieveheersbeestje part means, and that is the word I somewhere came across recently. However I picked up Meeldauwlieveheersbeestje when I thought of adding to the comments here. Meeldauwlieveheersbeestje seems to refer to the orange ladybird, and I've discovered that the orange ladybird feeds on mildew.
February 1, 2009
Prolagus commented on the word ladybird
sionnach, cochineal is a different species, Dactylopius coccus, whose Italian name is cocciniglia. The color carmine (carminus or coccinus in Latin) was (is) traditionally obtained from this insect's body scales and eggs.
While we are at it: the name of the Italian liqueur Alchermes (or "Alkermes") derives from Arabic al-qirmiz, which means... cochineal.
February 2, 2009
dontcry commented on the word ladybird
You know what's NOT a bird? A Steeler. Go.
February 2, 2009
Prolagus commented on the word ladybird
Definitely...
February 2, 2009
bilby commented on the word ladybird
A cardinal's a bird.
February 2, 2009
john commented on the word ladybird
Ladybird Johnson's given name? Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson.
February 2, 2009
kewpid commented on the word ladybird
Surely Johnson wasn't her given name :)
February 2, 2009
rolig commented on the word ladybird
Nor was Taylor, I reckon.
By the way, in the part of the US where I come from, we call this beetle a ladybug. The "lady" in both words is, of course, the one Catholics call "Our Lady" (Notre Dame, for you college football fans).
February 4, 2009
sionnach commented on the word ladybird
What?! What is this?!
Nuffink! I frink I'll have some casu marzu, confided the ladybird to her friend the ootheca, as they chatted over the arabian telephone.
February 5, 2009
plethora commented on the word ladybird
Aaaand the award for referencing the most most active threads in one comment goes to..!
February 5, 2009
sionnach commented on the word ladybird
Tee hee! It doesn't take very much to amuse my simple mind.
chortle.
February 5, 2009