BLACKBIRD

I. noun Date: 14th century any of various birds of which the males are largely or entirely black: as, a common thrush ( Turdus merula ) of Eurasia and northern Africa having an orange bill and eye rim, any of several American oscine birds (family Icteridae), a Pacific islander kidnapped for use as a plantation laborer, II. intransitive verb Date: circa 1873 to engage in the slave trade especially in the South Pacific