Link Centre Dictionary

ladybird

la·dy·bird

UK/ˈleɪ.di.bəːd/ US/ˈleɪ.di.bɝd/ uncommon

noun

1.

small round bright-colored and spotted beetle that usually feeds on aphids and other insect pests

Synonyms

Origin

From lady + bird. Lady here refers to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Compare German Marienkäfer (literally “Mary beetle or bug”), Danish mariehøne, Latvian mārīte, Macedonian бубамара (bubamara) and Spanish mariquita. Also compare damselfly.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.