The phrase 'butterfly-collecting' as a derisive term for descriptive linguistics traces back decades, with Noam Chomsky often credited for popularizing it. The earliest published version appears in Chomsky's 1979 work, where he distinguished between mere observation and research seeking explanatory principles. However, the metaphor predates Chomsky's usage, originating in physics circles before migrating to anthropology and linguistics debates.

Ernest Rutherford allegedly coined the phrase 'Physics is the only real science; the rest are butterfly-collecting,' though this appears to be from oral tradition rather than published work. The shift from 'stamp-collecting' to 'butterfly-collecting' occurred in the 1970s. Edmund Leach employed the metaphor in anthropology to criticize Radcliffe-Brown's structural approach, framing comparison as mere classification rather than theoretical insight.

The term gained traction in linguistics through David DeCamp's 1971 critique of sociolinguistics, where he positioned it as pre-theoretical data gathering awaiting formal theory development. DeCamp clarified that while empirical data collection remained valuable, it represented an insufficient stage in linguistic research. The metaphor's persistence across disciplines reflects broader tensions between descriptive and theoretical approaches in scientific inquiry.