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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web 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 Recently, a godwit set the record for the longest nonstop flight by a land bird: 8,100 miles (13,000 kilometers) in ten days, from Alaska to Australia. Tom Langen, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Sep. 2022 An American golden-plover at Orchard Beach in Squantum, a marbled godwit at the Squantum Marshes, a little blue heron at Rosemary Lake in Needham, and two black vultures in the Blue Hills in Canton and another black vulture in Wrentham. BostonGlobe.com, 13 Aug. 2022 Keith Woodley of the Pukorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre on the North Island of New Zealand reported that a male godwit carrying a satellite transmitter first left the mudflats near the Kuskokwim River on Sept. 11. Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Nov. 2021 Martha’s Vineyard: Highlights featured a Eurasian wigeon in Edgartown, and a stilt sandpiper and a Hudsonian godwit in Chilmark. BostonGlobe.com, 23 Oct. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'godwit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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 21 Mar. 2023.

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