billed
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Having a beak or bill of a specified type: Describes an animal, typically a bird, that possesses a beak or bill with particular characteristics, such as shape, size, or thickness. The specific feature is usually indicated by a preceding hyphenated word (e.g., thick-billed, long-billed).
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The thick-billed murre is a seabird found in the Arctic.
- We spotted a beautiful long-billed curlew on the shore.
- The red-billed quelea is known for forming large flocks.
Advanced Usage
- Used in compound adjectives: The word "billed" is almost exclusively used in combination with another descriptive word to form a hyphenated compound adjective that modifies a noun, usually a type of bird.
- The sharp-billed bird expertly extracted insects from the bark.
- Figurative use (rare): In very specific contexts, it can describe something shaped like a bill.
- The billed cap provided shade from the sun. (Here, "billed" refers to the protruding visor of the cap, which is bill-shaped.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bill (noun): The beak of a bird.
- Bill (verb): To charge someone, or to advertise.
- -billed (suffix): Used to form compound adjectives describing the type of bill, e.g., , , .
Synonyms
- Beaked: Having a beak.
- Note: "Beaked" is a more general synonym, but "billed" is the standard term used in ornithology and common names for birds.
Antonyms
- Bill-less: Lacking a bill (though this is a very uncommon term).
- Not applicable: As "billed" describes a specific positive attribute, a direct opposite is rarely needed. One would simply state the absence of the feature (e.g., "a bird without a prominent bill").
Related Phrases/Idioms
- None directly: There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs using "billed" in its adjectival form. The verb "to bill" has its own set of phrases (e.g., , ).
Adjective
- having a beak or bill as specified
- a thick-billed bird
- a long-billed cap