蜻蛉

蜻蛉

1. dragonfly

/toɴboː/ → /toɴbo/

Shift from earlier tonbō, shortening the final vowel.[1] Now the most common reading of this term.

The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓), from Chinese 蜻蛉 (qīnglíng)

• 蜻蜓

• (Tokyo) とんぼ [tòńbó] (Heiban – [0])[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [tõ̞mbo̞]

蜻蛉(とんぼ) • (tonbo) 

1. dragonfly

   Synonym: (Tsugaru) だんぶり (danburi)

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as トンボ.

• 竹(たけ)蜻(とん)蛉(ぼ) (take tonbo): a bamboo dragonfly/bamboo-copter; a toy.
• 黄(き)蜻(とん)蛉(ぼ) (ki tonbo): a yellow darter (Sympetrum croceolum)

/toubau/ → /toːbɔː/ → /toɴbɔː/ → /toɴboː/

Shift from earlier tōbō.[1] Appears in the 康頼本草 (Yasuyori Honzō) of 995 CE.

• (Tokyo) とんぼー [tòńbóó] (Heiban – [0])[3]
• IPA^(key): [tõ̞mbo̞ː]

蜻蛉(とんぼう) • (tonbō) ^{←とんばう (tonbau)?}

1. dragonfly

/toubau/ → /toːbɔː/ → /toːboː/

Derivation unknown.[1] Some theories include:

• Originally a compound of 飛ぶ (tobu, “to fly; flying”) + 棒 (bō, “stick, pole”, ancient reading bau). However, this combines a native Japanese etymon with a Chinese borrowing, and the term appears early in the historical record, when such compounds were not common.
• Originally a compound of 飛ぶ (tobu, “to fly; flying”) + 羽 (ha, “wing”, ancient reading pa) + uncertain element う (u). While more likely in terms of historical trends, this leaves the final element unexplained.

This reading appears to have been superseded by tonbō and tonbo.

• IPA^(key): [to̞ːbo̞ː]

蜻蛉(とうぼう) • (tōbō) ^{←とうばう (toubau)?}

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) dragonfly

• Entry at Nihon Jiten (in Japanese)
• Entry at Gogen-Allguide (in Japanese)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

蜻蛉(あきず) • (akizu) ^{←あきづ (akidu)?}

1. (archaic) Alternative spelling of 秋津: dragonfly

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

蜻蛉(あきつ) • (akitsu) 

1. (archaic, since the Heian period) Alternative spelling of 秋津: dragonfly

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

蜻蛉(えんば) • (enba) ^{←ゑんば (wenba)?}

1. (archaic) dragonfly

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• (Tokyo) せーれー [sèéréé] (Heiban – [0])[3]
• IPA^(key): [se̞ːɾe̞ː]

蜻(せい)蛉(れい) • (seirei) 

1. dragonfly

Change in meaning from 陽炎 (kagirō, “heat haze, heat shimmer”), from the way that the insects fly in swarms that visually resemble heat haze.[1]

• IPA^(key): [ka̠ɡʲiɾo̞ː]

蜻蛉(かぎろう) • (kagirō) ^{←かぎろふ (kagirofu)?}

1. Obsolete spelling of 蜉蝣: dragonfly