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SPANISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

mariposa.

butterfly

8 characters4 syllables approx.Español language

Meaning & usage

noun/maɾiˈposa/[ma.ɾiˈpo.sa]
  1. butterfly

    feminine
  2. male homosexual

    feminine · slang
  3. butterfly stroke

    feminine
  4. creeping beggarweed (Desmodium incanum)

    feminine
  5. white ginger (Hedychium coronarium)

    feminine
  6. butterflies (physical sensation in one's stomach)

    feminine
Where this word comes from

Likely from the Vulgar Latin māreposā, which is a combination of māra (meaning "to flutter") and *pōsa (suggesting "to rest"). Another theory suggests it comes from the phrase María pósate (“Mary, alight!”). This likely stems from the belief that butterflies were the souls of the dead, and the Virgin Mary was often associated with souls. Another theory suggests it might be a combination of "mala pausa," meaning "bad rest" or "bad alighting," reflecting the insect's sometimes erratic flight patterns.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.