English Explanatory Dictionary

bird of passage

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A migratory bird, especially a passage migrant (“a bird that stops somewhere for a short time during a seasonal migration”).
  2. Someone passing through a place and only staying for a short time; an itinerant.

Pronunciation

/ˌbɜːd əv ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/ /ˌbɝd əv ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/ En-us-bird of passage.oga

Word forms

bird of passage birds of passage

Etymology

Probably a calque of Middle French oiseau de passage: oiseau (“bird”), passage (“part of a journey or route, passage”).

Synonyms

migrant bird of passage gadabout itinerant peregrinator rambler rover traveller voyager wanderer wayfarer
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