butterfly effect

  • noun (in chaos theory) the phenomenon whereby a tiny localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.

  — ORIGIN from the notion that a butterfly fluttering in Rio de Janeiro could change the weather in Chicago.

Perform another search of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary

About this dictionary
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English contains 145,000 words, phrases, and definitions.
Find out more about Oxford's range of English dictionaries
Sign up for the AskOxford Word of the Day

Search the Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
Search the Concise Dictionary of First Names