I. ˈbərd, ˈbə̄d, ˈbəid noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English brid, bird young bird, bird, from Old English bridd young bird
1.
a. archaic : the young of a feathered vertebrate (as a chick, eaglet, or duckling) : nestling
b. : any young animal as:
(1) obsolete : child , youngster
(2) chiefly Britain : a girl or young woman
struggling to make it with the bird — Adam Faith
2.
a. : a member of the class Aves all differing from the ancestral reptiles in possession of a covering of feathers instead of scales, a completely four-chambered heart served by a single (the right) aortic arch, fully separate systemic and pulmonary circulations, a warm-blooded metabolism, and large eggs with hard calcareous shells, and all recent forms having the forelimbs modified into wings, the jaws without teeth and enclosed in horny sheaths, and usually the breastbone enlarged by a ventral keel for the attachment of the pectoral muscles that control the action of the wings
b. : an adult of any variety of domestic poultry
a table bird
a show bird
housing for 3000 birds and 1000 poults
3. : game bird ; especially : partridge
4. : a saucer (as of pottery) made to be thrown from a spring trap and used in skeet and as a substitute for a live bird in trapshooting : clay pigeon
5. slang
a. fellow , chap ; especially : a peculiar or inconsequential one — usually used somewhat patronizingly
a queer bird
a gay old bird
b.
(1) : a notably clever or accomplished person — often used ironically
her grandfather really is a bird
(2) : something admirable of its kind
a bird of a filly
a bird of a scheme
6. : shuttlecock 1a
7. : a hissing or jeering expressive of disapproval
the crowd gave him the bird
also : dismissal from employment
I've got to get busy if I don't want to get the bird
8. : a small thin piece of meat rolled up with stuffing and skewered, browned, and braised — see veal bird
9. : guided missile
•
- bird in the hand
- for the birds
[s]bird.jpg[/s] [
bird 2 (kingfisher): 1 crest, 2 crown, 3 bill, 4 throat, 5 auricular region, 6 breast, 7 scapulars, 8 abdomen, 9 tarsus, 10 upper wing coverts, 11 primaries, 12 secondaries, 13 rectrix, 14 tail
]
II. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to observe or identify wild birds in their natural environment
III. noun
1. : something (as an aircraft, rocket, or satellite) resembling a bird especially in flying or being aloft
2. : an obscene gesture of contempt made by pointing the middle finger upward while keeping the other fingers down — usually used with the ; called also finger
3.
[by shortening from bird lime , rhyming slang for time ]
Britain : a term in prison