ladybird

IPA/ˈleɪdibɜːd/
KK[lˈedibˌɚd]IPA/ˈleɪdibɜːrd/

ladybird — noun

  • ladybirdsingular
  • ladybirdsplural

1. A small round beetle, often red in colour with dark spots, which feeds on garden

1.nounA2
Definition

A small round beetle, often red in colour with dark spots, which feeds on garden pests like aphids and is regarded as a friend to plants.

Example

While watering the tomato plants, Mei spotted a bright red ladybird resting on a large green leaf.

collocation: bright red / red + ladybird

A science textbook explains that one ladybird can eat over fifty aphids in a single day.

quantification: one ladybird can eat over [number]

Common collocations
  • bright red ladybird
  • seven-spot ladybird
  • ladybird beetle
  • ladybird larva
Synonyms
  • ladybug

    American English equivalent; identical insect

  • coccinellid

    formal scientific family name, rarely used in everyday conversation

Grammar Patterns

a [adjective] ladybird

a ladybird with [number] spots

[number] ladybirds

Usage Note

British English term; the equivalent in American English is ladybug. Frequently used with descriptions of colour or spot count (e.g. a red ladybird, a ladybird with seven black spots).

Common Mistakes

I saw a lady bird on the flower.
I saw a ladybird on the flower.
'ladybird' is written as one word, not two.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Ladybird (British English) and ladybug (American English) are the everyday common names for the same small round spotted beetle. The choice between them depends on the regional variety of English being used — ladybird is standard in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, while ladybug is used in the US and Canada. Coccinellid is the formal scientific family name (Coccinellidae) and is restricted to biology textbooks and research contexts. Example: 'My grandmother calls them ladybirds, but my American teacher says ladybug.' 'The coccinellid family includes over six thousand species worldwide.'

ladybird ↗ladybug ↗coccinellid ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • species of ladybird
  • spots of a ladybird
  • life cycle of a ladybird

Phrases

  • as red as a ladybird
  • as cute as a ladybird

Prepositions

  • on a ladybird
  • of a ladybird

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

The word comes from 'lady' (referring to the Virgin Mary) combined with 'bird'. The name is thought to refer to the Virgin Mary's red cloak, which matches the beetle's colour. Despite containing the word 'bird', this term describes a beetle, not a bird.