/ ˈmægpaɪ; NAmE / noun
a black and white bird with a long tail and a noisy cry. There is a popular belief that magpies like to steal small bright objects.
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent.: probably shortening of dialect maggot the pie , maggoty-pie , from Magot ( Middle English pet form of the given name Marguerite ) + pie , used in the naming of birds.