blue morpho

noun

: any of various large butterflies of the genus Morpho (such as M. peleides and M. menelaus) having a brilliant blue metallic luster on the upper surface of the wings

Just then, a blue morpho, the size of my palm, landed on my blue-flowered knapsack.

—Erin Taylor Monroney, National Geographic Traveler, January 1998

Blue morphos often fly in long chains of five or more, making them almost seem to dance as they move through the air.

—Lynn Edge, Birmingham (Alabama) News, 29 Aug. 2010

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above

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