yellowhammer
yellowhammer Lexical Profile
yellowhammer Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British A small Eurasian passerine bird (Emberiza citrinella) of the bunting family, characterized by the bright yellow head and underparts of the male and a distinctive, rhythmic song.
"During our countryside walk, we spotted a bright male yellowhammer singing from the top of a hawthorn hedge."
American The yellow-shafted northern flicker, a medium-sized woodpecker native to North America, officially designated as the state bird of Alabama.
"The yellowhammer gets its name from the brilliant yellow patches visible under its wings during flight."
American A native or inhabitant of the US state of Alabama.
"As a proud yellowhammer, she often shared stories about growing up in the heart of the Deep South."
Word Nuance & Usage
The term refers to completely different bird species depending on the continent: a bunting in Europe and a woodpecker in North America.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From 'yellow' + 'hammer'. The 'hammer' portion is an alteration (by folk etymology) of an older word, likely Old English 'amore' or Middle English 'yowlring', related to the German 'Ammer' meaning bunting.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.