bird

English Online Dictionary. What means bird‎? What does bird mean?

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: bû(r)d, IPA^(key): /bɜːd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /bɜɹd/, [bɝˑɖ]
  • (New York City, Southern US, dated) IPA^(key): [bəɪd]
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /bəɹd/, [bɚ(ɹ)d]
• (General Australian) enPR: bû(r)d, IPA^(key): /bɘːd/
• (India) IPA^(key): /bɜd/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)d

Etymology 1

From Middle English bird, brid, from Old English bridd (“chick, fledgling, chicken”), of uncertain origin (see Old English bridd for more). Originally from a term used of birds that could not fly (chicks, fledglings, chickens) as opposed to the general Old English term for flying birds, fugol (modern fowl). Gradually replaced fowl as the most common term starting in the 14th century.

The "booing/jeering" and "vulgar hand gesture" senses derived from the expression “to give the big bird”, as in “to hiss someone like a goose”, dated in the mid‐18th century.

Noun

bird (plural birds)

2. A member of the class or subclass of animals Aves in the phylum Chordata, characterized by being warm-blooded, having feathers and wings usually capable of flight, having a beaked mouth, and laying eggs.

   Synonyms: avian, fowl (archaic), feathered friend (idiomatic), feathered folk (collectively); see also Thesaurus:bird
3. (cooking, slang) A chicken or turkey used as food.

4. (slang) A man, fellow. [from mid-19th c.]

   Synonyms: bloke, chap, guy; see also Thesaurus:man
6. (UK, Ireland, colloquial) A girl or woman, especially one considered sexually attractive.

   Synonyms: broad, chick, dame, lass; see also Thesaurus:girl, Thesaurus:woman

   1. (UK, Ireland, colloquial, by extension) A girlfriend. [from early 20th c.]
7. (slang) An aircraft.
8. (slang) A satellite.
9. (obsolete) A chicken; the young of a fowl; a young eaglet; a nestling.
10. (UK, with definite article, chiefly in phrases) Booing and jeering, especially as done by an audience expressing displeasure at a performer.

11. (with definite article) The vulgar hand gesture in which the middle finger is extended.

    Synonym: the finger

    • 2002, The Advocate, "Flying fickle finger of faith", page 55.

      For whatever reason — and there are so many to chose from — they flipped the bird in the direction of the tinted windows of the Bushmobile.
12. A yardbird.
13. (slang, US) A kilogram of cocaine.

    Synonyms: chicken, brick
14. (slang, Canada, Philippines) A penis.
15. (UK, slang) Jailtime; time in prison.

Hypernyms

• (member of class Aves): amniote, sauropsid

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:bird

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Esperanto: birdo

Translations

See also

• birb
• burd
• chirp
• ornithic
• ornithology
• squawk
• tweet
• Appendix: Animals
• Appendix:Gestures/middle finger

Verb

bird (third-person singular simple present birds, present participle birding, simple past and past participle birded)

1. (intransitive) To observe or identify wild birds in their natural environment.
2. (intransitive) To catch or shoot birds; to hunt birds.
3. (intransitive, figuratively) To seek for game or plunder; to thieve.
4. (transitive, television) To transmit via satellite.

Adjective

bird (comparative birdier, superlative birdiest)

1. (Canada, colloquial, of a school or university course) Able to be passed with very little work; having the nature of a bird course.

Etymology 2

Originally Cockney rhyming slang, shortened from bird-lime for "time".

Noun

bird (uncountable)

1. (slang) A prison sentence.

Synonyms

• (prison sentence): porridge, stretch, time

Translations

Verb

bird (third-person singular simple present birds, present participle birding, simple past and past participle birded)

1. (transitive, slang) To bring into prison, to roof.

Derived terms

• bird off

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “bird”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• bird on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Category:Aves on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• Aves on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• “bird”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• drib