Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various bulbous plants of the genus Fritillaria of the lily family, having nodding, variously colored, often spotted or checkered flowers.
- noun Any of various nymphalid butterflies with wings that are orange or brown with black markings on the upper side and often with silver spots on the underside.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The popular name of plants of the genus Fritillaria.
- noun The popular name of several species of British butterflies.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Bot.) A plant with checkered petals, of the genus Fritillaria: the Guinea-hen flower. See
fritillaria . - noun (Zoöl.) One of several species of butterflies belonging to Argynnis and allied genera; -- so called because the coloring of their wings resembles that of the common Fritillaria. See
Aphrodite .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of several
bulbous perennial plants , of the genusFritillaria , having flowers with aspotted orchequered pattern. - noun Any of several
butterflies , of the familyNymphalidae , having wings with black or silvery spots.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun butterfly with brownish wings marked with black and silver
- noun any liliaceous plant of the genus Fritillaria having nodding variously colored flowers
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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A silver-washed fritillary – all tawny orange with black cryptic wing texts and flashes of mother-of-pearl – flew in and was immediately mobbed by ringlet and meadow-brown butterflies.
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The flowers, inhabited by a wild passion, drew the fritillary back repeatedly as if all its strength and beauty were trapped in their orbit.
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Match the artsy underwing of the pearl-bordered fritillary with the breathtaking views from the Morecambe Bay Limestones, just below the Lake District.
Are butterflies the UK's most beautiful endangered species? | Dan Flenley 2011
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Newly released figures from the charity Butterfly Conservation show that the endangered wood white increased in number by 600% in Britain last summer after a major decline, while the rare marsh fritillary increased by 134% and the silver-spotted skipper, once on the brink of extinction, rallied with a 78% rise.
Butterfly revival could be threatened by cuts, warns charity 2011
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• Wood white: up 600% since 2009, following major decline• Marsh fritillary: up 134%, after major decline• Common blue: up 146%• Brown argus: up 85%• Silver-spotted skipper: up 78%• Lulworth skipper: down 40%, worst ever year since records began• Meadow brown: down 20%, worst ever year• Essex skipper: down 33%, second worst year in scheme• Small skipper: down 17%• Wall brown: down 20%It was an ordinary school playing field until the diggers moved in.
Butterfly revival could be threatened by cuts, warns charity 2011
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Almost all have been managed for hunting or timber during most of their history, but the majority are now nature reserves and home to wildlife such as the pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly and barbastelle bat, as well as a rich variety of woodland plants.
Campaigners not out of the woods in bid to save forests 2011
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This has had a positive effect on other woodland wildlife, with butterflies such as the silver-washed fritillary thriving in the sunny, open rides between the stands of trees.
Birdwatch: Pheasant 2011
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This has had a positive effect on other woodland wildlife, with butterflies such as the silver-washed fritillary thriving in the sunny, open rides between the stands of trees.
Birdwatch: Pheasant 2011
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It was a silver-washed fritillary, the largest and most impressive of all the British fritillaries and one that has bucked the dismal trend and expanded its range after years of contraction.
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The graceful but now critically endangered high brown fritillary and the Lulworth skipper, which is confined to the Dorset coastline and has suffered a 93% decline in number since 2000, continued to disappear from the countryside.
Butterfly revival could be threatened by cuts, warns charity 2011
fbharjo commented on the word fritillary
adds a entire, whole new meaning to (a)'light' - gucci amore - artillary. Let the beauty times roll!
February 13, 2012