starling

¹

[ stahr-ling ]

noun

1. a chunky, medium-sized European passerine bird, Sturnus vulgaris, of iridescent black plumage with seasonal speckles, that nests in colonies: introduced into North America.
2. any of various similar Old World birds of the family Sturnidae.

starling

²

[ stahr-ling ]

noun

1. a pointed cluster of pilings for protecting a bridge pier from drifting ice, debris, etc.

Starling

¹

/ ˈstɑːlɪŋ /

noun

1. StarlingErnest Henry18661927MBritishSCIENCE: physiologist Ernest Henry . 1866–1927, British physiologist, who contributed greatly to the understanding of many bodily functions and with William Bayliss (1860–1924) discovered the hormone secretin (1902)

starling

²

/ ˈstɑːlɪŋ /

noun

1. an arrangement of piles that surround a pier of a bridge to protect it from debris, etc

starling

³

/ ˈstɑːlɪŋ /

noun

1. any gregarious passerine songbird of the Old World family Sturnidae , esp Sturnus vulgaris , which has a blackish plumage and a short tail

Word History and Origins

Origin of starling¹

before 1050; Middle English; Old English stærling, equivalent to stær starling (cognate with Old High German stara, Old Norse stari ) + -ling -ling ¹; akin to Old English stearn kind of bird, Latin sturnus starling

Origin of starling²

First recorded in 1675–85; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of starling¹

C17: probably changed from staddling , from staddle

Origin of starling²

Old English stærlinc , from stær starling (related to Icelandic stari ) + -line -ling ¹

Example Sentences

“Urban birds” associated with humans, such as pigeons, European starlings and house sparrows, will likely continue to survive.

From Los Angeles Times

Royall continues: "These include schools of other fish such as goldfish or sardines, as well as flocks of birds such as starling murmurations and swarms of insects such as dancing mosquitos."

From Science Daily

A drone photographer has captured video of a starling murmuration swooping over a seaside town.

From BBC

In nature, the collective motion of some birds and fish, such as flocks of starlings and shoals of sardines, respectively, can generate impressive dynamic phenomena.

From Science Daily

Daniel Dencescu spent hours following the starlings around the city and suburbs of Rome, Italy.

From BBC