The word "butterfly" in various European languages

MegazordPilot:

Per /u/TheRoutesOfWhirreds' request, here is a map of "butterfly" in various European languages. The map has also been posted on /r/etymologymaps, which you should definitely visit :)

Some interesting tidbits I stumbled upon during the research:

• Both Ancient Greeks and Russians had this belief that butterflies symbolized the immortality of the soul. Etymology shows it.
• I found a few reduplicative forms, e.g. pili-pala, papillon, farfalla, mariavolavola, թիթեռ (tʿitʿeṙ). Interesting how that insect inspires repetitive sounds.
• Russian and French use "night butterfly" for moth, and therefore do not distinguish butterfly from moth.
• There is a bit of mystery behind the origin of the English word, where German can probably help. These languages use "cream" and "butter" with "fly", after an old belief that witches transformed themselves into butterflies to steal cream and other milk products. I could not find any reliable source.
• Lots of languages use different words for "butterfly", depending on context (poetic or colloquial), so there may be a lot of register mixing on this map.

Collection: european-animal-words - Tags: europe, words, butterfly - Source: reddit.com