Other forms: ladybirds
A ladybird is a round red beetle with black spots, loved by gardeners. Count the ladybirds, a ladybird landed, ladybirds on the roses.
It eats aphids by the hundred, which is why gardeners welcome it. The number of spots says which species rather than how old it is, whatever children are told. Americans say ladybug, and the lady in both is the Virgin Mary.
1nounladybirdA round red beetle with black spots.
“A ladybird landed on my hand and crawled up my finger.”
ladybird is an insect.
Lady plus bird, the lady being the Virgin Mary. The same reference appears in several European languages.
From lady + bird. Lady here refers to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Compare German Marienkäfer literally “Mary beetle or bug”, Danish mariehøne, Latvian mārīte, Macedonian бубамара and Spanish mariquita. Also compare damselfly.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA