1. [noun] A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring. [from 11th c.]
2. [noun] (now) (rare) Someone seen as being unserious and (originally) dressed gaudily; someone flighty and unreliable. [from 17th c.]
3. [noun] The butterfly stroke. [from 20th c.]
4. [noun] A use of surgical tape, cut into thin strips and placed across an open wound to hold it closed.
5. [verb] To cut almost entirely in half and spread the halves apart, in a shape suggesting the wings of a butterfly.
6. [verb] To cut strips of surgical tape or plasters into thin strips, and place across a gaping wound to close it.
7. [noun] Diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings.
8. [noun] A swimming stroke in which the arms are thrown forward together out of the water while the feet kick up and down.
9. [verb] Flutter like a butterfly.
10. [verb] Cut and spread open, as in preparation for cooking; 'butterflied shrimp'.
11. [verb] Talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions; 'The guys always try to chat up the new secretaries'; 'My husband never flirts with other women'.
