Jump to content

kingfisher

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Kingfisher

English

[edit]
Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

Originally king's fisher, from Middle English kyngys fyschare; equivalent to king +‎ fisher. So named for obscure reasons.[1]

Pronunciation

[edit]
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkɪŋˌfɪʃə/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

[edit]

kingfisher (plural kingfishers)

  1. Any of various birds of the suborder Alcedines (or the family Alcedinidae sensu lato), having a large head, short tail and brilliant colouration; they feed mostly on fish.
    1. common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

Derived terms

[edit]

Translations

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025), “kingfisher (n.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Further reading

[edit]