nightingale

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

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

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
The Yamaguchis have no plans to move from their small craft brewery, Niwa No Uguisu, named after the nightingales that once flitted about the courtyard.

— nancy matsumoto, WSJ, "A Sake-Brewer’s House Steeped in Tradition," 13 Sep. 2017
Tom Price: My king, please glance into the doorway, where my strong son has brought you a nightingale made entirely of gold and silver.

— alexandra petri, The Denver Post, "“I love you more, Mr. President”: A Cabinet competition," 13 June 2017
At night, frogs and nightingales warble from the riverbanks.

— katherine wheelock, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why Languedoc Is Like Nowhere Else in France," 9 June 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.

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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

in the meaning defined above

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Nightingale

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

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

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

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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Nightingale

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nightingale

Definition of nightingale for English Language Learners

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Definition of nightingale for English Language Learners

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