n.
Pronunciation: ' ä- ˌ s ī n
Function: adjective
Etymology: New Latin Oscines, suborder name, from Latin, plural of oscin-, oscen songbird, bird giving omens by its cry, from obs-, ob- in front of, in the way + canere to singular ― more at OB- , CHANT
Date: 1883
: of or relating to a large suborder (Oscines) of passerine birds (as larks, shrikes, finches, orioles, and crows) characterized by a vocal apparatus highly specialized for singing
– oscine noun