stork
Americannoun
plural
storks,plural
stork-
any of several wading birds of the family Ciconiidae, having long legs and a long neck and bill.
-
the stork, this bird as the mythical or symbolic deliverer of a new baby.
My brother and his wife are expecting the stork in July.
noun
-
any large wading bird of the family Ciconiidae, chiefly of warm regions of the Old World, having very long legs and a long stout pointed bill, and typically having a white-and-black plumage: order Ciconiiformes
-
(sometimes capital) a variety of domestic fancy pigeon resembling the fairy swallow
Other Word Forms
- storklike adjective
Etymology
Origin of stork
before 900; Middle English; Old English storc; cognate with German Storch, Old Norse storkr; akin to stark
Explanation
A stork is a large water bird with long legs, a big bill, and a legendary reputation for leaving babies on doorsteps. Real storks don't deliver babies; they mostly stand around in marshes all day. Myths going back to ancient European folklore describe storks delivering infants to their expectant parents. In Europe, it was considered good luck if a stork made a nest on a house, and that became a handy answer to questions about where babies come from: The stork brought it! Sometimes the common birthmarks on the backs of babies' heads are even called "stork bites."
Vocabulary lists containing stork
Birds, Birds, Birds, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Incidentally, some stork species have been known to sacrifice their chicks in order to ensure the survival of the others.
From Salon • May 11, 2025
With long legs and large wings, the white stork is a prominent star of the pageant that is animal migration.
From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2024
The stork — nicknamed Yaren, or “companion,” in Turkish — has returned to Adem Yilmaz’s boat every year since, after migrating south for the winter.
From New York Times • Mar. 30, 2024
Cuomo: He’d sit in the chair with his knees folded up to his chest, like a giant stork.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2024
Two wolves ran past the children, talking eagerly to a very tall stork who was tip-toeing between them with dainty, delicate movements.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
