avocets
|a-vo-cet|
🇺🇸
/əˈvɑsɪt/
🇬🇧
/əˈvɒsɪt/
(avocet)
wading bird with upturned bill
Etymology
'avocet' originates from French, specifically the word 'avocette', likely a diminutive form used in the 16th–17th century.
'avocet' changed from the French word 'avocette' and was borrowed into English in the early 17th century as 'avocet'. The French form itself may reflect regional Italian/Venetian forms (compare Italian/Venetian avosetta/avocetta).
Initially it referred to the same distinctive wading bird (the avocet); its meaning has remained essentially the same in modern English.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a long-legged wading bird (family Recurvirostridae) with an up‑curved bill, often black‑and‑white in plumage; e.g. the pied avocet.
Avocets feed by sweeping their upturned bills through shallow water to catch small invertebrates.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/03 03:50