nightingale

noun night·in·gale \ ˈnī-tᵊn-ˌgāl , -tiŋ- \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Definition of nightingale

: an Old World thrush (Luscinia megarhynchos synonym Erithacus megarhynchos) noted for the sweet usually nocturnal song of the male; also : any of various other birds noted for their sweet song or for singing at night

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Recent Examples of nightingale from the Web

The nightingale sang just before midnight, as if it were perched in the boughs of the dripping tree in the car park.

— deborah levy, The Cut, "The Cost of Living," 1 July 2018
In Germany, the nightingale, that most melodious nocturnal wonder, was traded by the quart like a commodity.

— adrian higgins, sacbee, "Fertilize your creative spirit with these gardening books," 8 June 2018
This, then, is a book that provides food for thought as well for nightingales.

— simon barnes, WSJ, "‘Pasta for Nightingales’ Review: Birdwatching Tips From the Renaissance," 13 Apr. 2018
But sometimes, the doubling is intriguing; the rat girl, Alysia Chang, returns as the Chinese nightingale.

— allan ulrich, San Francisco Chronicle, "Oakland becomes Land of the Sweets with disarming annual ‘Nutcracker’," 24 Dec. 2017
Saya particularly misses hearing her mother’s bedtime stories, especially her Haitian tale about a nightingale who keeps children safe.

— wendy dunn, star-telegram, "Immigration stories explain current affairs in a way children, teens can understand," 20 Oct. 2017
When Wilbur was a teenager, his first poem, about a nightingale, was published in a magazine.

— husna haq, The Christian Science Monitor, "Remembering poet Richard Wilbur, 'heir to Robert Frost'," 16 Oct. 2017
As a teenager, his poem about a nightingale was published in John Martin's Magazine.

— hillel italie, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Richard Wilbur, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, dies at 96," 15 Oct. 2017
As a teenager, his poem about a nightingale was published in John Martin's Magazine.

— hillel italie, Time, "Richard Wilbur, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet, Has Died at 96," 15 Oct. 2017

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

Illustration of nightingale

Origin and Etymology of nightingale

Middle English, variant (with intrusive n) of nyhtegale, nyghtgale, going back to Old English nehtægale, nihtegale, going back to West Germanic *nahti-galōn, from *nahti- ¹night + -galōn, noun derivative of Germanic *galan- "to sing," whence Old English galan "to sing, call, sing enchantments," Old High German, "to sing enchantments, conjure," Old Norse gala "to crow, chant, sing," perhaps of onomatopoeic origin

Note: Germanic *galan- has been compared with Gothic goljan "to greet," Old Norse gæla "to comfort, soothe, appease," allegedly from a causative derivative *gōljan- from underlying *gol-. Proposed Indo-European comparisons (as Russian dialect galit' "to smile," galit'sja "to mock, jeer," Armenian gełgełem "sing beautifully, quiver, vibrate") are tenuous. See also etymology at ¹yell.

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First Known Use: 13th century

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