magpie
magpie Lexical Profile
magpie Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A long-tailed bird of the crow family (Corvidae), widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, noted for its striking black-and-white plumage, noisy chattering call, and high intelligence.
"A pair of magpies built a large, domed nest in the upper branches of the old oak tree."
A person who obsessively collects, hoards, or is attracted to small, miscellaneous, or shiny objects.
"Like a true magpie, she filled her shelves with random trinkets and shiny baubles she found at local flea markets."
Word Origin & Etymology
Late 16th century: from 'Mag', an abbreviation of the given name Margaret (traditionally used to denote a chattering woman), combined with 'pie', from Old French 'pie' and Latin 'pica', the original word for the bird.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.