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lepidoptera Look up lepidoptera at Dictionary.com
1773, "insects with four scaly wings," the biological classification that includes butterflies and moths, coined 1735 in Modern Latin by Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus (Karl von Linné, 1707-78) from Gk. lepido-, comb. form of lepis (gen. lepidos) "(fish) scale" (related to lepein "to peel") + pteron "wing, feather" (see petition).