blackbird

/'blækbə:d/
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blackbird

A blackbird sings from a branch in the morning sun.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A common black European thrush: A specific songbird species (Turdus merula) native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, known for the male's entirely black plumage and yellow eye-ring.
    • Any bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black: In North America, this term commonly refers to various New World blackbirds, such as the red-winged blackbird or the common grackle, which belong to a different family (Icteridae) than the European thrush.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • The melodious song of the European blackbird is a familiar sound in gardens.
    • A large flock of blackbirds, likely red-winged blackbirds, descended on the cornfield.
Advanced Usage
  • "To sing like a blackbird": To sing very beautifully or melodiously.
    • She has a lovely voice; she sings like a blackbird.
Variants and Related Words
  • Blackbirding (n, historical): The coercion of people through trickery or kidnapping to work as slaves or poorly paid labourers, especially on ships and plantations. (Note: This is a distinct, historical term derived from a different sense of the word).
  • Icterid (n): The scientific family name (Icteridae) for New World blackbirds, orioles, and meadowlarks.
Synonyms
  • Merle (n, chiefly British): Another name for the European blackbird ().
  • Ouzel (n, archaic): An old name for the European blackbird.
  • New World blackbird (n): A general term for blackbirds in the Icteridae family.
Related Phrases
  • "As the crow flies" vs. "As the blackbird flies": While "as the crow flies" is the standard idiom for the most direct path, "as the blackbird flies" is a less common, poetic variation.
    • The village is five miles away as the blackbird flies.
Notes on Meaning
  • The meaning of "blackbird" depends heavily on geographical context. In Europe, it almost exclusively refers to the specific thrush species. In the Americas, it is a general term for several species of dark-plumaged birds in the Icteridae family.
  • The historical sense referring to a kidnapped person (as seen in the song "Blackbird" by The Beatles, which uses it symbolically) is now obsolete in general language but remains in historical contexts.
blackbird

A blackbird sings from a branch in the morning sun.

Noun
  1. common black European thrush
  2. any bird of the family Icteridae whose male is black or predominantly black

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