• TabbsTheBat (they/them)@pawb.social
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    14 days ago

    I find it interesting how in english there are 2 different words for moths/butterflies :3. In my native language there aren’t (though colloquially butterflies are referred to by the diminutive and moths by the base word… at least in my experience)

    Anywho, moths are cool, I like them :3

    • Demdaru@lemmy.world
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      14 days ago

      Curious. In polish there are also two words. Moth is “ćma” and butterfly is “motyl”. Funfact: There is also “ćmić” whichs kinda archaic,but can mean giving very small light (for example, embers), a very small but constant pain or shading/covering/dimming something.

      And apparently the word comes from latin “tenebra”. Quite dramatic, as it means the word has it roots in word for darkness itself. Quite a name for a small, mostly blind furry butterfly wannabe.

      • TabbsTheBat (they/them)@pawb.social
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        14 days ago

        Yeah, in lithuanian we just have drugys, though as I said in my experience people use drugys for moths, and drugelis for butterfly, though if you search drugys on the internet and go to pictures you will mostly get pictures of butterflies :3 you’d have to search for “naktinis drugys” (nocturnal butterfly) to get moths

      • antonim@lemmy.world
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        14 days ago

        And apparently the word comes from latin “tenebra”.

        No, what source told you that? It’s from Proto-Slavic tьma (darkness), which is a native word. Related to Latin tenebrae, yes, but through a common ancestor.

    • Diddlydee@feddit.uk
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      14 days ago

      That’ll be because all butterflies are just moths that fly in the daytime. Moths are substantially older and have substantially more variance.

      As a side note, the ‘buttetfly’ in the famous kids book ‘The very hungry caterpillar’ is in fact a moth as it comes from a cocoon.