blackcap

American  

[blak-kap] / ˈblækˌkæp /

noun

1. any of several birds having the top of the head black, as the chickadee and certain warblers, especially the Old World blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla.

2. the black raspberry plant or fruit.

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blackcap British  

/ ˈblækˌkæp /

noun

1. a brownish-grey Old World warbler, Sylvia atricapilla , the male of which has a black crown

2. any of various similar birds, such as the black-capped chickadee ( Parus atricapillus )

3. a popular name for raspberry

4. (formerly) the cap worn by a judge when passing a death sentence

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Etymology

Origin of blackcap

First recorded in 1650–60; black + cap ¹

Example Sentences

You knew the blackcap by the piano improbably impersonating a flute.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2021

Many resident bird species are rising in numbers; as are short-distance migrants such as the blackcap and chiffchaff.

From The Guardian • Jan. 2, 2020

With Burbank’s permission, Erickson crossed the Phenomenal with the complex wild blackcap raspberries he remembered from his youth.

From Seattle Times • May 30, 2017

The work clattered on through a forenoon piano cadenza representing the blackcap, ended at high noon on the hushed cry of the cuckoo, again played by the piano soloist.

From Time Magazine Archive

At one end of the garden were several rows of blackcap raspberry bushes, which had grown into an awful snarl.

From Driven Back to Eden by Roe, Edward Payson