budgerigar
pronunciation
How to pronounce budgerigar in British English:
UK [ˈbʌdʒərigɑ:(r)]
How to pronounce budgerigar in American English:
US [ˈbʌdʒəriˌɡɑr]
-
- Noun:
- small Australian parakeet usually light green with black and yellow markings in the wild but bred in many colors
Word Origin
- budgerigar
- budgerigar: [19] When the first English settlers arrived at Port Jackson (now Sydney Harbour) in the late 18th century, they heard the local Aborigines referring to a small green parrot-like bird as budgerigar. In the local language, this meant literally ‘good’ (budgeri) ‘cockatoo’ (gar). The English language had acquired a new word, but to begin with it was not too sure how to spell it; the first recorded attempt, in Leichhardt’s Overland Expedition 1847, was betshiregah. The abbreviated budgie is 1930s.
- budgerigar (n.)
- 1847, from Native Australian, said to mean "good cockatoo," from budgeri "good" + gar "cockatoo."
Example
- 1. A higher humidity can benefit your budgerigar , but is not essential .
- 2. The zebra finch is the most popular finch in aviculture and is second only to the canary and the budgerigar as the most popular cage bird .