curlew
/ˈkɝlu/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.28 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of several migratory wading birds in the genus Numenius, remarkable for their long, slender, downcurved bills.
Example Sentences
- "The corncrake nested in the unmown field Answers its mate, across the misty stream On fitful wing the startled curlews fly, And in his sedgy bed the lark, for joy that Day is nigh [...]"
- "That quivering wail from the billabong lying murkily mystic towards the East was only the cry of the fearing curlew."
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).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: curlew, courlieu
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkɝlu/
- British English: /ˈkɜːlju/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
beach stone-curlew
bristle-thighed curlew
bush stone-curlew
eastern curlew
Eskimo curlew
Eurasian curlew
Eurasian stone-curlew
great stone-curlew