kingfisher
noun
Simple meaning
Any of different birds of the suborder Alcedines, having a large head, short tail and brilliant colouration.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kingfihsherSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɪŋfɪʃɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Any of various birds of the suborder Alcedines (or the family Alcedinidae sensu lato), having a large head, short tail and brilliant colouration; they feed mostly on fish.
Nonpasserine large-headed bird with a short tail and long sharp bill; usually crested and bright-colored; feed mostly on fish
Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Word at a Glance
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Word Family
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Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Softly hairy South African herb having flowers with bright blue rays.
Greyish-blue North American kingfisher with a chestnut band on its chest.
Small kingfisher with greenish-blue and orange plumage.
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