cabbage butterfly
- noun
- /ˈkæbɪdʒ ˈbʌtərflaɪ/
:
mariposa de repollo
- The cabbage butterfly fluttered gracefully over the garden, searching for food.
Examples
-
Black spots on the cabbage butterfly looked like eyes.
Fiction book (1998) -
Just then, the cabbage butterfly opened its wings.
Fiction book (1998) -
"I caught a cabbage butterfly!" she said, tucking the jar into her bag.
Fiction book (1998) -
The cabbage butterfly flitted like a tiny ghost in the white light.
Fiction book (1998) -
She was excited to spot a cabbage butterfly resting on a leafy plant.
-
In spring, the cabbage butterfly emerges from its chrysalis and starts to fly around.
Synonyms
160
1.0
A small insect with a thin body and bright wings that flies in daylight
A small white butterfly whose caterpillars eat cabbage and similar plants
A large white butterfly whose caterpillars eat cabbage and other garden plants
A common large butterfly with white wings whose caterpillars eat cabbages
A pale butterfly like the cabbage white that visits flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning (a type of butterfly associated with cabbage) is directly and compositionally derived from the nouns 'cabbage' + 'butterfly' following a common noun-noun subtype pattern. This transparent compounding is cross-linguistically frequent (e.g. Spanish 'mariposa de la col', French 'piéride du chou') and a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
The name cabbage butterfly comes from a simple picture: small white butterflies and their caterpillars eat cabbage, so farmers often saw them on the plants. That's why the name refers to the common white butterfly whose caterpillars can 'damage' cabbage crops.