English Explanatory Dictionary

curlew

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any of several migratory wading birds in the genus Numenius, remarkable for their long, slender, downcurved bills.
  2. A stone curlew (Burhinidae spp.).

Pronunciation

/ˈkɜːlju/ /ˈkɜːlu/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-curlew.wav /ˈkɝlu/

Word forms

curlew curlews

Etymology

From Middle English curlew, from Old French courlieu (see French courlis), claimed to be imitative of the bird's cry but apparently assimilated with dialectal *corliu (“runner, messenger”), a variant of coureur (the bird is adept at running).

Related words

curlew sandpiper stone curlew

Derived words

beach stone-curlew bristle-thighed curlew bush stone-curlew curlewlike eastern curlew Eskimo curlew Eurasian curlew Eurasian stone-curlew great stone-curlew Hudsonian curlew little curlew long-billed curlew northern curlew slender-billed curlew stone-curlew
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