bird

¹bird

noun, often attributive \ˈbərd\

Definition of BIRD

1

archaic : the young of a feathered vertebrate

2

: any of a class (Aves) of warm-blooded vertebrates distinguished by having the body more or less completely covered with feathers and the forelimbs modified as wings

3

: a game bird

4

: clay pigeon

5

a : fellow

b : a peculiar person

c chiefly British : girl

6

: shuttlecock

7

chiefly British

a : a hissing or jeering sound expressive of disapproval

b : dismissal from employment

8

: a thin piece of meat rolled up with stuffing and cooked

9

: a man-made object (as an aircraft, rocket, or satellite) that resembles a bird especially by flying or being aloft

10

: an obscene gesture of contempt made by pointing the middle finger upward while keeping the other fingers down —usually used with the —called also finger

11

: birdie 2

— bird·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

— for the birds

: worthless, ridiculous

Examples of BIRD

1. A large bird flew overhead.
2. The birds were singing outside our window.
3. He's a tough old bird.
4. We met some smashing birds at the pub last night.

Illustration of BIRD

Origin of BIRD

Middle English brid, bird, from Old English bridd

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to BIRD

Synonyms

baby, being, human, bod [British], body, character, cookie (or cooky), creature, customer, devil, duck, egg, face, fish, guy, head, human being, individual, life, man, mortal, party, person, personage, scout, slob, sort, soul, specimen, stiff, thing, wight

Antonyms

cheer

Related Words

hominid, homo, humanoid; brother, fellow, fellowman, neighbor; celebrity, personality, self, somebody

Near Antonyms

animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter

Other Birds Terms

aerie, bunting, clutch, covey, hackle, ratite, rictus, ruff, skein, zygodactyl

²bird

intransitive verb

Definition of BIRD

: to observe or identify wild birds in their habitats

First Known Use of BIRD

1918

Other Birds Terms

aerie, bunting, clutch, covey, hackle, ratite, rictus, ruff, skein, zygodactyl

Bird

biographical name \ˈbərd\

Definition of BIRD

Larry 1956–     Lawrence Joseph Bird Am. basketball player

Rhymes with BIRD

bird, burred, curd, furred, gird, Heard, herd, nerd, spurred, surd, third, urd, word

bird

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Principal features of a songbird.—© Merriam-Webster Inc.

Any of the warm-blooded, beaked vertebrates of the class Aves, including more than 9,600 living species. A covering of feathers distinguishes birds from all other animals. Birds have a four-chambered heart (like mammals), forelimbs modified into wings, and keen vision, and their eggs have calcium-rich eggshells. Their sense of smell is not highly developed. Birds are found almost worldwide in diverse habitats on both land and water. Dietary preferences and nest structure vary widely. Almost all species incubate their eggs. Flying birds have evolved skeletons in which part of the bone is replaced by air spaces, an adaptation for reducing weight. The crop, an enlarged part of the esophagus used for temporary food storage, enables birds to feed while in flight. Humans use wild and domesticated birds and their eggs for food, hunt wild birds for sport, and use feathers for decoration and insulation. More than 1,000 extinct species of bird have been identified from fossil remains; the earliest fossil bird known is Archaeopteryx.