butterf

n. someone who drops things (especially one who cannot catch a ball); a person who is butter-fingered. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Zool.) A name given to several different fishes, in allusion to their slippery coating of mucus, as the Stromateus triacanthus of the Atlantic coast, the Epinephelus punctatus of the southern coast, the rock eel, and the kelpfish of New Zealand. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. any of various plants of the genus Ranunculus.
Syn. -- buttercup, crowfoot, goldcup, kingcup. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n.; pl. Butterflies [ Perh. from the color of a yellow species. AS. buter-flēge, buttor-fleóge; cf. G. butterfliege, D. botervlieg. See Butter, and Fly. ] (Zool.) A general name for the numerous species of diurnal Lepidoptera. [ See Illust. under Aphrodite. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Asclepias butterfly. See under Asclepias. --
Butterfly fish (Zool.), the ocellated blenny (Blennius ocellaris) of Europe. See Blenny. The term is also applied to the flying gurnard. --
Butterfly shell (Zool.), a shell of the genus Voluta. --
Butterfly valve (Mech.), a kind of double clack valve, consisting of two semicircular clappers or wings hinged to a cross rib in the pump bucket. When open it somewhat resembles a butterfly in shape. [ 1913 Webster ]