butterfly effect
noun /ˈbʌtəflaɪ ɪfekt/
/ˈbʌtərflaɪ ɪfekt/
- the idea that a very small change in one part of a system can have large effects in other partsTopics Change, cause and effectc2Word Origin1980s: from the notion in chaos theory that a butterfly fluttering in Rio de Janeiro could change the weather in Chicago.