mariposa

Borrowed from Spanish mariposa (“a butterfly”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌmæɹɪˈpəʊ.sə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌmæɹɪˈpoʊ.sə/
  • (Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /ˌmɛɹɪˈpoʊ.sə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊsə

mariposa (plural mariposas)

1. A mariposa lily (Calochortus spp.).

• parosmia

Borrowed from Spanish mariposa.

mariposa f (plural mariposes)

1. butterfly

Inherited from Spanish mariposa.

mariposa

1. butterfly

Borrowed from Spanish mariposa.

• Hyphenation: ma‧ri‧po‧sa

mariposa f (plural mariposas)

1. a butterfly
2. (Portugal, swimming) butterfly stroke
3. a moth

• mariposista

• “mariposa”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “mariposa”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

mariposa f (plural mariposas)

1. (Campidanese) alternative form of maniposa

Likely from the Vulgar Latin māreposā, which is a combination of māra (meaning "to flutter") and *pōsa (suggesting "to rest"). Another theory suggests it comes from the phrase María pósate (“Mary, alight!”). This likely stems from the belief that butterflies were the souls of the dead, and the Virgin Mary was often associated with souls. Another theory suggests it might be a combination of "mala pausa," meaning "bad rest" or "bad alighting," reflecting the insect's sometimes erratic flight patterns.

• IPA^(key): /maɾiˈposa/ [ma.ɾiˈpo.sa]

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -osa
• Syllabification: ma‧ri‧po‧sa

mariposa f (plural mariposas)

1. butterfly
2. (slang) male homosexual
3. (swimming) butterfly stroke
4. creeping beggarweed (Desmodium incanum)
5. white ginger (Hedychium coronarium)
6. tremors felt in the stomach when one is nervous.

• ⇒ English: mariposa lily
• → Portuguese: mariposa

• oruga f (“caterpillar”)
• polilla f (“moth”)

• “mariposa”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025