POORWILL

poorwill, Phalaenoptilus nuttallii

(noun) goatsucker of western North America

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Imitative of its note.

Noun

poorwill (plural poorwills)

nightjar (bird)

Source: Wiktionary


Poor"-will`, n. Etym: [So called in imitation of its note.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: A bird of the Western United States (Phalænoptilus Nutalli) allied to the whip-poor-will.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

8 January 2025

SYCAMORE

(noun) Eurasian maple tree with pale grey bark that peels in flakes like that of a sycamore tree; leaves with five ovate lobes yellow in autumn


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Coffee Trivia

The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.

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