wheatear
pronunciation
How to pronounce wheatear in British English:
UK ['wiːtɪə]
How to pronounce wheatear in American English:
US [ 'hwit,ɪr]
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- Noun:
- small songbird of northern America and Eurasia having a distinctive white rump
Word Origin
- wheatear
- wheatear: [16] The wheatear is etymologically the ‘white-arsed’ bird. The word is a backformation from an earlier wheatears, a singular form which came to be regarded as plural. And wheatears in turn was an alteration (due no doubt to confusion with wheat) of *whiteeres, a compound formed from white and arse. Like the parallel French term culblanc, it alludes to the white feathers on the bird’s rump.=> arse, white
- wheatear (n.)
- type of bird, 1590s, back-formation from white-ears, literally "white-arse" (see white + arse). So called for its color markings; compare French name for the bird, cul-blanc, literally "white rump."