oscine

[ os-in, -ahyn ]

adjective

1. of, belonging to, or pertaining to the suborder Oscines, of the order Passeriformes, comprising the songbirds that have highly developed vocal organs.

noun

1. an oscine bird.

oscine

/ ˈɒsaɪn; ˈɒsɪn /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Oscines, a suborder of passerine birds that includes most of the songbirds

Other Words From

• non·oscine adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of oscine¹

1880–85, Americanism; < New Latin Oscines name of the suborder, equivalent to Latin oscin- (stem of oscen ) songbird, originally bird that gives omens by its cry ( o ( b ) s-, variant of ob- ob- + -cin-, stem of -cen, noun derivative of canere to sing) + -es nominative plural noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of oscine¹

C17: via New Latin from Latin oscen singing bird

Example Sentences

He assumes that since palato-maxillaries seem to be absent in the majority of passerine birds, their occurrence in certain nine-primaried oscine groups indicates relationship among these groups.

From Project Gutenberg

For that matter, however, there is no one of our birds—be he, in technical language, "oscine" or "non-oscine"—whose voice is not, in its own way, agreeable.

From Project Gutenberg

It was something after the order of the purple martin's melodious sputter, only the tones were richer and fuller and the music better defined, as became a genuine oscine.

From Project Gutenberg