Ledyba
"le-dy-ba"
-ba refers to the onomatopoeiac phrasing of the common domestic sheep's cry, a reference to Ledyba's sheep inspiration.
"dy" has a number of inspirations. Dy is the periodic table shorthand for Dysprosium, which is the 66th element, possibly referring to the number of legs Ledyba has (66). Ledyba is #165 in the National Pokedex, and the 165 isotope of Dysprosium is a metastable isomer with a half-life of 1.257 minutes (75.42 seconds). It is also a metal which could refer to Ledyba's ability to learn Hidden Power Steel.
Dy is also uncommonly used as an abbreviation for 1,4-Dioxane, a commercial solvent which is a 6-membered ring structure. With a typical ball model structure, it looks convincingly like Ledyba itself:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/1%2C4-Dioxane-3D-balls.png/130px-1%2C4-Dioxane-3D-balls.pngThe final suggested origin of the "dy" Ledyba's name is that of a Deputy, shortened to Dy. From Ledyba's pokedex entry:
>When the weather turns cold, lots of Ledyba gather from everywhere to cluster and keep each other warm.Much like townsfolk of the old west accumulated to deputies in cold times.
This is further supported by other Pokedex entries for Ledyba:
>Ledyba communicate using a fluid that they secrete from where the legs join the body. They are said to convey feelings to others by altering the fluid's scent.>It is very timid. It will be afraid to move if it is alone. But it will be active if it is in a group.Typical of the activities and behaviors of real-life deputies.
Le comes from French, the masculine form of the english word "the". The pokemon is thus "The dysprosium/1,4-dioxane/deputy sheep" in full english.
