shama

American  

[shah-muh] / ˈʃɑ mə /

noun

1. a slender long-tailed thrush, Copsychus malabaricus, of southern Asia and introduced into Hawaii, having black plumage with a white rump and tail sides and a chestnut belly.

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Etymology

Origin of shama

1830–40; said to be < Hindi śāmā

Example Sentences

Up here you can hear the rich song of a shama thrush through the branches and get a peek of the very tip of Diamond Head.

From Washington Times • Feb. 7, 2015

"The shama," Elizabeth said; "when I hear him I close my eyes and picture the downs and oaked hills of England, and fancy I'm listening to the nightingale or the lark."

From Caste by Fraser, William Alexander

The Emperor was seated on an alga, wrapped up to the eyes in a shama, the sign of greatness and of power in Abyssinia.

From Narrative of Captivity in Abyssinia with Some Account of the Late Emperor the Late Emperor Theodore, His Country and People by Blanc, Dr. Henri

As the harsh call, like an evening muezzin, died out, the sweet song of a shama, in tones as pure as those of a nightingale, broke the solemn hush of eventide.

From Caste by Fraser, William Alexander

Their costume consists of drawers, a cotton shirt, with a white cotton-cloth cloak, called a shama, having a broad scarlet border, and, in addition, a lion-skin tippet with long tails.

From Our Soldiers Gallant Deeds of the British Army during Victoria's Reign by Kingston, William Henry Giles