papilionaceous
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Having a corolla in the form of a butterfly, with prominent wing-like petals; (generally) pertaining to the Faboidea (Papilionoidea) family of plants.
adj
Like a butterfly; showy; capricious.
Example Sentences
- "Thefe are alfo called by Reaumur Papillionaceous Flies, that have their wings half tranfparent."
- "[T]he broad road is lined with wild bushes and tangled shrubs lavishly decked with brilliant blossoms: the lentisk, so covered with yellow, papilionaceous flowers [translating Schmetterlingsblumen] that not a green leaf is visible…"
- "Ali G was a glorious, comedic butterfly, but it's my sad duty to report that his exquisitely papilionaceous character is currently being broken upon a wheel."
Etymology
From New Latin papilionaceus (from Latin pāpiliō (“butterfly”)) + -ous. In scientific sense, after Papilionaceae (family name).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
Usage
Inflected Forms
more papilionaceous (comparative)
most papilionaceous (superlative)