I. -ˌflī noun
Usage: often attributive
Date: before 12th century
1. : any of numerous slender-bodied diurnal lepidopteran insects including one superfamily (Papilionoidea) with broad often brightly colored wings and usually another superfamily comprising the skippers
2. : something that resembles or suggests a butterfly ; especially : a person chiefly occupied with the pursuit of pleasure
3. : a swimming stroke executed in a prone position by moving both arms in a circular motion while kicking both legs up and down
4. plural : a feeling of hollowness or queasiness caused especially by emotional or nervous tension or anxious anticipation
5. : a defensive move by a goalie in ice hockey executed by dropping to the knees while spreading the lower legs outward
II. transitive verb
( -flied ; -fly·ing )
Date: 1954
: to split almost entirely and spread apart
a butterflied steak
butterflied shrimp