blackbird

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word blackbird. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word blackbird, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say blackbird in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word blackbird you have here. The definition of the word blackbird will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofblackbird, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

a blackbird (Turdus merula)

Etymology

From Middle English blakebird, blacbrid (“ouzel; Eurasian blackbird”), equivalent to black +‎ bird.

Pronunciation

Noun

blackbird (plural blackbirds)

  1. A common true thrush, Turdus merula, found in woods and gardens over much of Eurasia, and introduced elsewhere.
  2. A variety of New World birds of the family Icteridae (26 species of icterid bird).
  3. (slang, derogatory, historical, among slavers and pirates) A native of the South Pacific islands.

Synonyms

Derived terms

terms derived from blackbird (noun)

Translations

Verb

blackbird (third-person singular simple present blackbirds, present participle blackbirding, simple past and past participle blackbirded)

  1. To enslave someone, especially through chicanery or force
    • 2005, Wal F. Bird, Me No Go Mally Bulla: Recruiting and Blackbirding in the Queensland Labour Trade 1863–1906, Ginninderra Press, →ISBN, →ISBN:
    • 2000, Kate Fortune, Brij V. Lal, The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia – Volume 1, University of Hawaiʻi, →ISBN, page 208:
      “At the same time, island communities — especially in coastal areas, where the effect of population loss was often enormous — sometimes retaliated against blackbirding raids.”

Coordinate terms

Further reading

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia