waxwing

[ waks-wing ]

noun

1. any of several songbirds of the family Bombycillidae, having a showy crest and certain feathers tipped with a red, waxy material, as Bombycilla garrulus Bohemian waxwing, of the Northern Hemisphere.

waxwing

/ ˈwæksˌwɪŋ /

noun

1. any of several gregarious passerine songbirds of the genus Bombycilla, esp B. garrulus, having red waxy wing tips and crested heads: family Bombycillidae

Word History and Origins

Origin of waxwing¹

First recorded in 1810–20; wax ¹ + wing

Example Sentences

The Bohemian waxwing, like the only other member of the family that ever visits us, the cedar-bird, is a roving gipsy.

From Project Gutenberg

Taken in this sense, the Bohemian or Wandering Waxwing, as it used to be called, is a name open to no exception.

From Project Gutenberg

The cedar waxwing is a strange bird, with a very pronounced species-individuality, totally unlike any other bird of our country.

From Project Gutenberg

Cherry-bird is another name which is appropriately applied to the cedar waxwing.

From Project Gutenberg

Surely no bird has less right to be associated with evil than this mild waxwing.

From Project Gutenberg