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La Printempaj Insektoj Posted by on May 16, 2009 in Esperanto Language

The seasons where I live have been confusing as possible these past two months. My winter was about five months long, and only in mid-April did the last snows go away. In my mind, it’s more spring than summer. And it’s only reinforced by all the springtime insektoj!

You can call most any bug on its own a mere insekto, and an Esperantist will understand vaguely what you mean. But, if you want to be more specific, there are special words for a great many of the insects out there. Here are some you might encounter in the spring, or other warmer months.

Libelo = Dragonfly
Moskito = Mosquito
Kulo = Gnat
Vespo = Wasp
Abelo = Bee
Papilio = Butterfly

(This last one I find really amusing. “Papo” means “Pope” in Esperanto, so a butterfly could be broken down and found to contain words that mean a tool of the Pope. Any punsters out there want to try making a joke out of that?)

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Comments:

  1. inga.johansson:

    butterfly – papilio

    a tool for the pope – papilo

  2. Cvi Solt:

    Papilio, ne papilo!!!

  3. marianas:

    That makes me think of the TV show Kings, where butterflies are a symbol of God’s blessing. Sorry I can’t turn that into something funny.

    Papilio could be the country of the tool of the pope ^.^