| a cumulatively large effect that a very small natural force may produce over a period of time. |
| Main Entry: | butterfly effect |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | a chaotic effect created by something seemingly insignificant, the phenomenon whereby a small change in one part of a complex system can have a large effect somewhere else |
| Etymology: | from the beating of a butterfly's wings in one place causing a tornado in another part of the world |