thrasher
thrasher Lexical Profile
thrasher Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American Any of several long-tailed, thrush-like songbirds of the family Mimidae native to North and Central America, noted for their complex and repetitive vocalizations.
"The brown thrasher perched high in the oak tree, defending its territory with a remarkably varied and loud melody."
A person or thing that strikes, beats, or moves violently and aggressively.
"The heavy storm was a relentless thrasher, tearing ancient branches from the willow trees in the courtyard."
A machine used to separate grain or seeds from stalks and husks; a variant spelling of thresher.
"The rusted antique thrasher sat abandoned in the barn long after modern combines had taken over the harvest."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often confused with the spelling 'thresher'; while both can be used to refer to the agricultural machine or the shark, 'thrasher' uniquely refers to the North American songbird, whereas 'thresher' is preferred for the harvesting machine.
• Rhymes for thrasher
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the verb 'thrash' (an alteration of 'thresh', from Old English 'þerscan' meaning to beat or strike) plus the agent suffix '-er'. Its application to the bird dates back to the 1840s, likely due to the bird's habit of thrashing around in underbrush to forage.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.