Main Entry: fla·min·go

Pronunciation: \flə-ˈmiŋ-(ˌ)gō\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural fla·min·gos also fla·min·goes

Etymology: obsolete Spanish flamengo (now flamenco), literally, Fleming, German (conventionally thought of as ruddy-complexioned)

Date: 1565

: any of several large aquatic birds (family Phoenicopteridae) with long legs and neck, webbed feet, a broad lamellate bill resembling that of a duck but abruptly bent downward, and usually rosy-white plumage with scarlet wing coverts and black wing quills

[flamingo illustration]