Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of numerous insects of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths, characterized by four membranous wings covered with small scales and having larvae that are called caterpillars.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Same as lepidopterous.
  • noun Same as lepidopter.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An insect that in the adult state has four wings more or less covered with tiny scales; a lepidopterous insect.
  • adjective Same as lepidopterous.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any insect of the order Lepidoptera; the butterflies and moths
  • adjective Characteristic of these insects

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun insect that in the adult state has four wings more or less covered with tiny scales

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From New Latin Lepidoptera, order name : lepido– + Greek ptera, pl. of pteron, wing, winged creature; see –pter.]

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