pyrrhuloxia

[ pir-uh-lok-see-uh ]

noun

1. a cardinallike grosbeak, Cardinalis ( Pyrrhuloxia ) sinuatus, of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, having a bill superficially resembling that of a parrot.

pyrrhuloxia

/ ˌpɪrəˈlɒksɪə /

noun

1. a grey-and-pink crested bunting, Pyrrhuloxia sinuata, of Central and SW North America, with a short parrot-like bill

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyrrhuloxia¹

< New Latin Pyrrhu ( la ) finch genus (< Greek pyrrhoúlas a red bird, derivative of pyrrhós red) + New Latin Loxia crossbill genus, equivalent to Greek lox ( ós ) oblique + -ia -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyrrhuloxia¹

from New Latin Pyrrhula genus of the finches (from Greek purrhoulas a flame-coloured bird, from purrhos red, from pur fire) + Loxia genus of the crossbills, from Greek loxos oblique

Example Sentences

I’m pretty sure I would have misspelled pyrrhuloxia.

From Forbes

That left 18 words for Vanya and Gokul before the final two: bouquetière, caudillismo, thamakau, scytale, tantieme, cypseline, urgrund, filicite, myrmotherine, sprachgefuhl, zimocca, nixtamal, hippocrepiform, paroemiology, scacchite, pipsissewa, Bruxellois and pyrrhuloxia.

From US News

Back and forth they went, correctly spelling words such as scherenschnitte, pyrrhuloxia, thamakau, caudillismo and a slew of other words mere mortals would never be able to decode.

From Washington Post

Another kindred bird placed from its short and broad bill in a different genus, and known as Pyrrhuloxia sinuata or the Texan cardinal, is found on the southern borders of the United States and in Mexico; while among North American “grosbeaks” must also be named the birds belonging to the genera Guiraca and Hedymeles—the former especially exemplified by the beautiful blue G. caerulea, and the latter by the brilliant rose-breasted H. ludovicianus, which last extends its range into Canada.

From Project Gutenberg

In Coahuila, the Pyrrhuloxia is common.

From Project Gutenberg