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nightingale

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noun night·in·gale \ ˈnī-tᵊn-ˌgāl , -tiŋ- \
Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

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

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.

Nightingale

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biographical name Night·in·gale \ ˈnī-tᵊn-ˌgāl , -tiŋ- \

Definition of Nightingale

Florence 1820–1910 English nurse and philanthropist

NIGHTINGALE Defined for English Language Learners

nightingale

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noun

Definition of nightingale for English Language Learners

  • : a small brown European bird that sings a beautiful song especially at night

NIGHTINGALE Defined for Kids

nightingale

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noun night·in·gale \ ˈnī-tᵊn-ˌgāl \

Definition of nightingale for Students

:a reddish brown European bird noted for the sweet song of the male usually heard at night

Learn More about nightingale

  1. See words that rhyme with nightingale Spanish Central: Translation of nightingale Nglish: Translation of nightingale for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of nightingale for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nightingale

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