elaenia

[ ih-lee-nee-uh ]

noun

1. any of numerous tropical American flycatchers of the genus Elaenia, having short crests and small bills.

Word History and Origins

Origin of elaenia¹

< New Latin (1835), originally Elaïnia < Greek elaïnéa, feminine of elaḯneos pertaining to the olive, derivative of elaía olive; so named from the birds' color

Example Sentences

Other fan favorites strayed from the parts of Central and South America where they are typically found: an Inca tern spotted in Hawaii; a small-billed elaenia captured in a net in Quebec; a heron-like limpkin recorded in Texas for the first time; and, a gray-breasted Martin observed in Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

From New York Times

Jazz legend Pharoah Sanders was sitting in a car when he first heard Elaenia, the alluring debut album by British electronic musician Sam Shepherd, aka Floating Points.

From BBC

When Pharoah Sanders first heard “Elaenia,” the stewy and transporting debut album by the British electronic musician and composer Sam Shepherd, who performs as Floating Points, he was rapt.

From New York Times

“Elaenia,” his 2015 debut album, took five years to make.

From New York Times

Floating Points’ ‘Reflections’: The recording alias of Britain’s Sam Shepherd earned raves for his 2015 album “Elaenia,” a crisp, steadily evolving blend of electronic sounds with an organic sense of adventure.

From Los Angeles Times