Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun zoology Any of numerous
species ofbutterfly in thegenus Parnassius.
Etymologies
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Examples
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When the stonecrops bloom, parnassian butterflies are on the wing.
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And there, of course, you can expect to find photogenic parnassius caterpillars or, in season, the beginning of summer, the adult parnassian butterflies.
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Strobeen’s parnassian butterfly, a redwood subspecies of Parnassius clodius, disappeared 33 years ago from former redwood habitats of the Santa Cruz Mountains. due to the loss of its host plant (Dicentra spp.) from fire and timber management practices.
dream7184 commented on the word parnassian
Of or relating to poetry. After Mount Parnassus, a mountain in Greece, considered sacred to Apollo, the Greek god of music and poetry, and the Muses. Earliest documented use: 1565.--A Word A Day
May 21, 2013