BIRD

bird

(noun) warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

shuttlecock, bird, birdie, shuttle

(noun) badminton equipment consisting of a ball of cork or rubber with a crown of feathers

boo, hoot, Bronx cheer, hiss, raspberry, razzing, razz, snort, bird

(noun) a cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt

bird, fowl

(noun) the flesh of a bird or fowl (wild or domestic) used as food

dame, doll, wench, skirt, chick, bird

(noun) informal terms for a (young) woman

bird, birdwatch

(verb) watch and study birds in their natural habitat

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

bird (plural birds)

A member of the class of animals Aves in the phylum Chordata, characterized by being warm-blooded, having feathers and wings usually capable of flight, and laying eggs.

(slang) A man, fellow. [from the mid-19th c.]

(UK, US, slang) A girl or woman, especially one considered sexually attractive.

(UK, Ireland, slang) Girlfriend. [from the early 20th c.]

(slang) An airplane.

(slang) A satellite.

(obsolete) A chicken; the young of a fowl; a young eaglet; a nestling.

Synonyms

• (member of class Aves): fowl, avian

• (man): chap, bloke, guy

• (woman): broad, chick, dame, girl, lass

• See also woman

• See also girl

Hyponyms

• See also bird

Verb

bird (third-person singular simple present birds, present participle birding, simple past and past participle birded)

(intransitive) To observe or identify wild birds in their natural environment.

(intransitive) To catch or shoot birds.

(intransitive, figuratively) To seek for game or plunder; to thieve.

Etymology 2

Originally Cockney rhyming slang, shortened from bird-lime for "time".

Noun

bird (plural birds)

(slang, uncountable) A prison sentence.

A yardbird

Synonyms

• (prison sentence): porridge, stretch, time

Verb

bird (third-person singular simple present birds, present participle birding, simple past and past participle birded)

(transitive, slang) To bring into prison, to roof.

Etymology 3

Dated in the midā€18th Century; derived from the expression ā€œto give the big birdā€, as in ā€œto hiss someone like a gooseā€.

Noun

the bird (plural -)

The vulgar hand gesture in which the middle finger is extended.

Anagrams

• drib

Proper noun

Bird

A surname.

Anagrams

• drib

Source: Wiktionary


Bird, n. Etym: [OE. brid, bred, bird, young bird, bird, AS. bridd young bird.

1. Orig., a chicken; the young of a fowl; a young eaglet; a nestling; and hence, a feathered flying animal (see 2). That ungentle gull, the cuckoo's bird. Shak. The brydds [birds] of the aier have nestes. Tyndale (Matt. viii. 20).

2. (Zoƶl.)

Definition: A warm-blooded, feathered vertebrate provided with wings. See Aves.

3. Specifically, among sportsmen, a game bird.

4. Fig.: A girl; a maiden. And by my word! the bonny bird In danger shall not tarry. Campbell. Arabian bird, the phenix.

– Bird of Jove, the eagle.

– Bird of Juno, the peacock.

– Bird louse (Zoƶl.), a wingless insect of the group Mallophaga, of which the genera and species are very numerous and mostly parasitic upon birds.

– Bird mite (Zoƶl.), a small mite (genera Dermanyssus, Dermaleichus and allies) parasitic upon birds. The species are numerous.

– Bird of passage, a migratory bird.

– Bird spider (Zoƶl.), a very large South American spider (Mygale avicularia). It is said sometimes to capture and kill small birds.

– Bird tick (Zoƶl.), a dipterous insect parasitic upon birds (genus Ornithomyia, and allies), usually winged.

Bird, v. i.

1. To catch or shoot birds.

2. Hence: To seek for game or plunder; to thieve. [R.] B. Jonson.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 April 2024

GRADUAL

(noun) (Roman Catholic Church) an antiphon (usually from the Book of Psalms) immediately after the epistle at Mass


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest iced coffee is 14,228.1 liters and was created by CaffƩ Bene (South Korea), in Yangju, South Korea, on 17 July 2014. They poured iced black Americano on the giant cup that measured 3.3 meters tall and 2.62 meters wide.

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