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  1. ladybird love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. See ladybug.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A beetle of the family Coccinellidæ, order Coleoptera, so called from its graceful form and delicate coloration. The eggs are laid in small clusters, and the larvæ are for the most part carnivorous, feeding upon plant-lice, bark-lice, and small insects of all sorts; one, however, eats the leaves of plants. The adult beetles are in the main predaceous, but sometimes feed upon pollen. The pupa is usually formed within the last larval skin, which is suspended by its anal end to some leaf or other object. The pupæ and also the larvæ of some species have been known to winter over, but the beetles usually hibernate. The species are very numerous; those figured, Coccinella picta (see under Coccinellidæ), C. munda, C. novem-notata. Megilla maculata, Anatis quindecim-punclata, are all common in the United States. Also called ladybug, ladyclock, ladycow, ladyfly.
  2. n. The pintail duck, Dafila acuta: so called from its graceful form.
  3. n. A lady-love; a sweetheart: often used as a term of endearment.

Wiktionary

  1. n. Any of the Coccinellidae family of beetles, typically having a round shape and red or yellow spotted elytra.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of small beetles of the genus Coccinella and allied genera (family Coccinellidæ); -- called also ladybug, ladyclock, lady cow, lady fly, ladybeetle, and lady beetle. Coccinella seplempunctata in one of the common European species. See coccinella.

WordNet 3.0

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

Etymologies

  1. From lady +‎ bird, the “lady” here referring to the Virgin Mary, Jesus′ mother. Compare German Marienkäfer. (Wiktionary)

Examples

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synonyms (3)

Words with the same meaning

  1. cow-lady
  1. lady-cow
  1. ladybug

hypernyms (1)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. beetle

hyponyms (8)

Words that are more specific

  1. epilachna varivestis
  1. Mexican bean beetle
  1. vedalia
  1. rodolia cardinalis
  1. hippodamia convergens
  1. two-spotted ladybug
  1. adalia bipunctata
  1. bean beetle

same context (23)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. longicorn
  2. golden-winged
  3. bombardier
  4. chocolate-brown
  1. ladybug
  2. dust-colored
  3. stingray
  4. whirligig
  1. inch-long
  2. volant
  3. longhorn
  4. brightly-coloured
  1. bola
  2. bright-green
  3. boondoggles
  4. cadenza
  1. pack
  2. anticipative
  3. chavi
  4. olive-drab
  1. flesh-eating
  2. stadtholder
  3. goss

reverse dictionary (13)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. vedalia
  2. ladybeetle
  1. ladybug
  2. ladyclock
  1. herbivorous ladybird
  2. ladycow
  1. ladyfly
  2. twice-stabbed
  1. burniebee
  2. seven-spotted
  1. coccinellid
  2. cow-lady
  1. goldenbug

tags (2)

Free-form, user-generated categorization

  1. insect
  1. animal

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Lists

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Comments

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  • sionnach Tee hee! It doesn't take very much to amuse my simple mind.

    chortle. Feb 5, 2009

  • plethora Aaaand the award for referencing the most most active threads in one comment goes to..! Feb 5, 2009

  • sionnach What?! What is this?!
    Nuffink! I frink I'll have some casu marzu, confided the ladybird to her friend the ootheca, as they chatted over the arabian telephone. Feb 5, 2009

  • rolig Nor was Taylor, I reckon.
    By the way, in the part of the US where I come from, we call this beetle a ladybug. The "lady" in both words is, of course, the one Catholics call "Our Lady" (Notre Dame, for you college football fans). Feb 3, 2009

  • kewpid Surely Johnson wasn't her given name :) Feb 1, 2009

  • john Ladybird Johnson's given name? Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson. Feb 1, 2009

  • bilby A cardinal's a bird. Feb 1, 2009

  • Prolagus Definitely... Feb 1, 2009

  • dontcry You know what's NOT a bird? A Steeler. Go. Feb 1, 2009

  • Prolagus sionnach, cochineal is a different species, Dactylopius coccus, whose Italian name is cocciniglia. The color carmine (carminus or coccinus in Latin) was (is) traditionally obtained from this insect's body scales and eggs.

    While we are at it: the name of the Italian liqueur Alchermes (or "Alkermes") derives from Arabic al-qirmiz, which means... cochineal. Feb 1, 2009

  • garyth123 It seems to mean 'Our Lord's beast', or at least that is what the lieveheersbeestje part means, and that is the word I somewhere came across recently. However I picked up Meeldauwlieveheersbeestje when I thought of adding to the comments here. Meeldauwlieveheersbeestje seems to refer to the orange ladybird, and I've discovered that the orange ladybird feeds on mildew. Feb 1, 2009

  • sionnach Pro: Does coccinella bear any relationship to cochineal? I seem to recall that cochineal used to be obtained by grinding up the bodies of scarlet insects of some kind.

    garyth: does 'meeldauwlieveheersbeestje' have a literal translation? Feb 1, 2009

  • Prolagus Coccinella in Italian (from Latin, "little scarlet [lady]"). Jan 31, 2009

  • garyth123 Meeldauwlieveheersbeestje in Dutch. Jan 31, 2009

  • sionnach
    In Devonshire the lady-bird is " God-a'mighty cow " ; in Lincolnshire, " cow-lady " or " lamb-lady" ; in France, " Vache a Dieu," " bete a bon Dieu," and " bete a Martin."

    The German is " Marienkafer " (Mary's chafer) or " Sonnenkafer " (sun-chafer).


    (Notes and Queries, 1907, page 10) Jan 31, 2009

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‘ladybird’ has been looked up 1606 times, loved by 2 people, added to 10 lists, commented on 15 times, and has a Scrabble score of 15.