1. Nervous excitement in the stomach
   "He had butterflies before his big speech"

1. Diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colourful wings
   "Butterflies fluttered among the flowers in the garden"
    
2. A swimming stroke in which the arms are thrown forward together out of the water while the feet kick up and down
   "The butterfly stroke is considered one of the most challenging swimming techniques";
   - butterfly stroke

1. Flutter like a butterfly
   "The pages butterflied in the breeze"
    
2. (cooking) cut and spread open, as in preparation for cooking
   "butterflied shrimp"
    
3. Swim using the butterfly stroke
   "She butterflied the length of the pool"

Type of: dart, fleet, flit, flutter, lepidopteran, lepidopteron, lepidopterous insect, open, spread, spread out, swimming stroke, unfold

Encyclopedia: Butterflies, Flowers