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Glite Dictionary
lepidoptery

lepidoptery

9.9
The study of butterflies and moths
  • noun
  • /ˌlɛpɪˈdɒptəri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lepidopterología
  • The scientist gave a fascinating lecture on lepidoptery and the life cycles of various butterfly species.

Examples

  • Her passion for lepidoptery led her to become a renowned expert in moth identification.

  • I wasn't aware that your expertise included lepidoptery.

    On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

  • During his research in lepidoptery, he discovered several new species of butterflies in the Amazon rainforest.

Synonyms

lepidopterology
vslepidoptery
  • Specialized
9.9

The study of butterflies and moths

is the same field but uses an alternative technical name

Surface Forms

lepidoptery singular
lepidopteries plural

Morphology

lepidoptery = lepidoptera (opaque) = lepidoptera + y

Formed from the scientific taxonomic name 'lepidoptera' plus '-y'; the Greek combining elements and the taxonomic base are specialist knowledge and not transparently meaningful to average learners.

Etymology

The word lepidoptery comes from the parts lepido- meaning 'scale' and -ptery meaning 'wing'. Think 'scale-wing' because butterfly and moth wings are covered in tiny scales, and that's why lepidoptery is the study of butterflies and moths.