Illustration of bird
- 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
often attributive
1
archaic
: the young of a feathered vertebrate
2
: any of a class (Aves) of warm-blooded vertebrates distinguished by having the body more or less completely covered with feathers and the forelimbs modified as wings
3
: a game bird
4
6
7
chiefly British
a
: a hissing or jeering sound expressive of disapproval
b
: dismissal from employment
8
: a thin piece of meat rolled up with stuffing and cooked
9
: a man-made object (such as an aircraft, rocket, or satellite) that resembles a bird especially by flying or being aloft
10
: 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
11
see also:
Cite this Entry
“Bird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bird. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.
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