godwit

noun

god·​wit ˈgäd-ˌwit How to pronounce godwit (audio)
: any of a genus (Limosa) of shorebirds that are related to the curlews and sandpipers and have a long slender slightly upturned or straight bill

Examples of godwit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But seemingly out of nowhere, the godwit was found dead a week after its first sighting, officials said. Makiya Seminera, Miami Herald, 9 Feb. 2024 Martha’s Vineyard: Nineteen snow geese at the Vineyard Golf Club in Edgartown, a marbled godwit at Eel Pond in Edgartown, and a blue-gray gnatcatcher on Clay Pit Road at Aquinnah. BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2023 Martha’s Vineyard: a Black skimmer at Sarson’s Island, 2 Common ravens at Menemsha, and a White-eyed vireo. Nantucket: a rare western Cassin’s kingbird – one of fewer than five previous state records – in addition to a migrant Hudsonian godwit at Sesachacha Pond. Jesús Marrero Suárez, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Oct. 2022 The Hudsonian godwit is one of them. Jim Robbins, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022 At Forest Beach in Chatham there was a pectoral sandpiper along with a whimbrel and the continuing marbled godwit and 5 Western willets. BostonGlobe.com, 7 Dec. 2022 This matches the migration of the blackpoll warbler, the authors write, as well as the Hudsonian godwit, which breeds just below the Arctic Circle before flying all the way to the southern coasts of South America. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 23 Oct. 2015 At Richmond Pond in Acoaxet, a Hudsonian godwit and three soras at Egypt Lane in Fairhaven. BostonGlobe.com, 24 Sep. 2022 The godwit’s epic flight — the longest nonstop migration of a land bird in the world — lasts from eight to 10 days and nights through pounding rain, high winds and other perils. Jim Robbins, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'godwit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of godwit was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near godwit

Cite this Entry

“Godwit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/godwit. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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