Main Entry:

gal·li·nule

Pronunciation:

\ˈga-lə-ˌnül, -ˌnyül\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

New Latin Gallinula, genus of birds, from Latin, pullet, diminutive of gallina

Date:

1776

: any of several aquatic birds of the rail family with long thin feet and a platelike frontal area on the head: as a: moorhen b: one (Porphyrula martinica) found from the southern United States to Argentina that is purplish blue with olive-green upperparts, a red and yellow bill, and a light blue frontal area