English Explanatory Dictionary

shrike

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun

Any of various passerine birds of the family Laniidae which are known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns.

Pronunciation

/ʃɹaɪk/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-shrike.wav

Word forms

shrike shrikes

Etymology

From Middle English *schrike, *schryke, from Old English sċrīc (“shrike, thrush”), from the same root as shriek and screech, named after the bird's cry. Compare Icelandic skríkja (“shrieker, shrike”), Swedish skrika (“jay”).

Synonyms

butcherbird

Derived words

African long-tailed shrike antshrike brown shrike bush shrike chatshrike crow-shrike cuckooshrike cuckoo shrike drongo shrike en flycatcher-shrike great grey shrike great northern shrike helmetshrike isabelline shrike lesser grey shrike loggerhead shrike long-tailed shrike magpie shrike masked shrike mountain shrike northern shrike peppershrike piping shrike red-backed shrike red-tailed shrike shrike-babbler shrikebill shrike-flycatcher shrikelike shrike-tanager shrikethrush shrike tit shriketit shrike-vireo swallow shrike toddy shrike white-crowned shrike white-rumped shrike white-tailed shrike woodchat shrike woodshrike

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