white-eye

[ hwahyt-ahy, wahyt- ]

noun

, plural white-eyes.

1. any of numerous small, chiefly tropical Old World songbirds of the family Zosteropidae, most of which have a ring of white feathers around the eye: several species are endangered.

white-eye

noun

1. Also called (NZ)blightysilvereyetauhouwaxeye any songbird of the family Zosteropidae of Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, having a greenish plumage with a white ring around each eye
2. any of certain other birds having a white ring or patch around the eye

Word History and Origins

Origin of white-eye¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

The white-eye family includes about 100 species, but they’re mostly tropical, and none live anywhere near here.

From Washington Post

From Canada’s Madeline Schizas’ graceful skating performance in the women’s short program at the Figure Skating World Championships, in Montpellier, France, to Pope Francis’ special prayer for Ukraine, and peace, amid the devastation of the Russian war, to the beauty of spring as a Japanese white-eye bird drinks the nectar of a cherry blossom in Tokyo, this photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world made or published by The Associated Press in the past week.

From Seattle Times

By “celebrating our untold history as Indigenous women by gathering in a circle of retelling,” Ms. White-Eye said, she “couldn’t think of a better community project.”

From New York Times

In 2011, several residents of Wardsville, Ontario, who were planning a quilt trail in commemoration of the War of 1812 approached Leslee White-Eye, a Chippewas of the Thames First Nation member and community organizer, about having an Indigenous sister trail on the nearby Chippewas of the Thames reserve.

From New York Times

Ms. White-Eye brought the idea to a group of Indigenous quilters.

From New York Times