waxwing

American

[waks-wing] / ˈwæksˌwɪŋ /

noun

any of several songbirds of the family Bombycillidae, having a showy crest and certain feathers tipped with a red, waxy material, as Bombycilla garrulus Bohemian waxwing, of the Northern Hemisphere.

waxwing British

/ ˈwæksˌwɪŋ /

noun

any of several gregarious passerine songbirds of the genus Bombycilla, esp B. garrulus, having red waxy wing tips and crested heads: family Bombycillidae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of waxwing

First recorded in 1810–20; wax ¹ + wing

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.

The waxwing is described as a "plump bird" which is slightly smaller than a starling.

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2023

The other part was Meyer’s description of the cedar waxwing, a bird especially partial to those berries.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2023

A waxwing slain beneath a living-room window, its biannual journey stopped dead by the sky in a pane of glass.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2023

But how does the waxwing, among the most frugivorous of birds, know the crop is ready?

From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2022

I saw in Detroit a bird from the far north, a bird I had never before seen, the Bohemian waxwing, or chatterer.

From Under the Maples by Burroughs, John

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023