By TOM TURPIN
On Six Legs 

Did you ever wonder where common names for insects such as butterfly or beetle originated? Pondering such a thing might lead you to digging into what could be called the etymology of entomology. Etymology is the study of the origin of words, and entomology is the study of insects.

Let’s start with the etymology of the word "insect." The word is based on the Latin insectum that was used for animals that appeared to be "cut into" pieces. The word was inspired by the obvious segmentation of bodies of insects. In like manner, entomon was the word the ancient Greeks used for animals with segmented bodies including spiders, millipedes, centipedes, lobsters and even snakes. Entomon is the basis for the word "entomology" that today only is used relative to insects and not those other segmented creatures.

If the world had followed the advice of French naturalist Charles Bonnet, who lived in the 1700s and studied insects, the term "entomology" would not be used today.

In his 1766 book Contemplation de la nature he wrote: "I have given the name insectology to that part of natural history which has insects for its object: that of entomology … would undoubtedly have been more suitable … but its barbarous sound terryfy’d me."

Barbarous-sounding words don’t seem to have terrified those entomologists, primarily Linnaeus, who came up with terms for orders of insects. For example, words such as "Coleoptera," "Lepidoptera," "Hemiptera" and "Odonata." To be sure, if you know Latin and Greek the names are descriptive of the structure of the insects included in the order.

The order name Lepidoptera is a combination of "ptera" that means "wing" and "lepido" for scale. The Lepidoptera are the scale-wing insects that most people know by what are called common names - in this case moth and butterfly.

The first use of most of the common names of insects is unknown because it was probably before being recorded in written works. But we do know something about why the term came to be used.

For instance, butterfly was an insect that did fly, and some of the first ones showed up in the early spring in a time known as "the butter season." The reason that spring was called the butter season is because the birth of baby calves and goats was associated with the raw product milk that was processed into butter.

The word "moth" is directly related to the Old English word that most likely originated to describe the "worm," a clothes moth caterpillar that destroyed clothing. The term "caterpillar" is based on the old French term "chatepelosa" that meant hairy cat.

Beetles are classified as Coleoptera, and their common name is based on the Old English word "bitela" that means "to bite." So the name is based on the fact that beetles can bite with their chewing mouthparts.

Insects of the order Hemiptera are called bugs. These are the only insects that can scientifically be correctly called bugs. Their name bug is based on the old Welsh name for the insect we know today as the bedbug.

Years ago people were bitten by this insect during the nighttime and did not know what caused the bite. Consequently, people referred to the bites as a result of a "bwg" – a ghost or spirit of the night.

Flies get their name because these insects are good at flying. Flies posses only two wings, not four like most insects’ therefore, their order name – Diptera – means "two wings." Many other insects also fly, and to make sure no one thinks they are Diptera these flying insects have their name correctly written as one word.

For example: butterflies, dragonflies, fireflies and dobsonflies. Real flies such as horse flies and deer flies have their common name written as two words.

Also classified in the order Diptera are those biting insects known as mosquitoes.

The name "mosquito" is an appropriate common name. Mosquito is actually based on the Latin term "musca" that meant "fly." We also find that term in the scientific name of the house fly – Musca domestica.

The order Hymenoptera includes the bees. The name "bee" came from the Middle Dutch bie and may have been related to an ancient word that meant "busy worker." And that just might be the reason we have the old saying "busy as a bee."

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Tom Turpin may write to him in care of this publication.