sparrow
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Middle English sparwe, sparowe, from Old English spearwa (“sparrow”), from Proto-Germanic *sparwô, *sparwaz (“sparrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *sper(w)-, *sper(g)- (“sparrow, bird”). Cognate with Dutch spreeuw (“sparrow”), Alemannic German Spar (“sparrow”), German Sperling (“sparrow”), Danish spurv (“sparrow”), Swedish sparv (“sparrow”), Breton frao (“crow”), Tocharian A spārāñ, Ancient Greek ψάρ (psar, “starling”).
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
sparrow (plural sparrows)
- The house sparrow, Passer domesticus; a small bird with a short bill, and brown, white and gray feathers.
- A member of the family Passeridae, comprising small Old World songbirds.
- A member of the family Emberizidae, comprising small New World songbirds.
- Generically, any small, nondescript bird.
- (UK, chiefly London) A quick-witted, lively person. Often used in the phrase cockney sparrow.
- 2005, Drama Faces: Martine McCutcheon, BBC
- Professional cockney sparrow Martine has acted since childhood.
- 1878, Ally Sloper's guide to the Paris exhibition, Charles Henry Ross, p. 54
- I take it there 's scarcely a happier fellow alive than your honest town-bred smoke-dried cockney sparrow.
- 2005, Drama Faces: Martine McCutcheon, BBC
Derived terms [edit]
Synonyms [edit]
Translations [edit]
Passer domesticus
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bird of the family Passeridae
bird of the family Emberizidae
generically, any small, nondescript bird
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