/os"in, -uyn/ , adj.
1. of, belonging to, or pertaining to the suborder Oscines, of the order Passeriformes, comprising the songbirds that have highly developed vocal organs.
n.
2. an oscine bird.
[ 1880-85, Amer.; Oscines name of the suborder, equiv. to L oscin- (s. of oscen ) songbird, orig. bird that gives omens by its cry ( o ( b ) s-, var. of ob- OB- + -cin-, s. of -cen, n. deriv. of canere to sing) + -es nom. pl. n. suffix ]