songbird
songbird Lexical Profile
songbird Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A bird belonging to the suborder Passeri (oscines), characterized by a highly developed vocal organ called a syrinx that enables it to produce complex, musical calls.
"As the sun began to rise, the forest canopy was filled with the vibrant melodies of a small yellow songbird defending its territory."
A human singer, particularly a woman, known for having a beautiful, melodious, and captivating voice.
"During the 1940s, she became famous as a jazz songbird, enchanting international audiences with her smooth, effortless vocals."
Word Nuance & Usage
While colloquially applied to any bird that produces pleasant vocalizations, ornithologists restrict the term to members of the suborder Passeri, which possess a highly developed vocal organ (syrinx).
Word Origin & Etymology
A compound of the words 'song' and 'bird', first recorded in English in the late 16th century to describe birds capable of complex musical vocalizations.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.