Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wheatear

/ˈʍiːtɪəɹ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.65 in modern English

Syllables: wheatear
IPA: /ˈʍiːtɪəɹ/

14

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of various passerine birds of the genus Oenanthe that feed on insects,

noun

Any of various passerine birds of the genus Oenanthe that feed on insects,

noun

An ear of wheat.

noun

A decorative pattern resembling an ear of wheat.

noun

An anomalous form of carnation, producing small green ears instead of flowers.

Example Sentences

"What abundance of Hens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys, Pigeons, and Larks? [...] Maychit, Stint, Sea-Plover, Pewits, Redshanks, Rayles, and Wheat-ears, Herrons, Cranes, Bitterns, Bustards, Puffins, God-wits,"
"great plenty of the birds so much admired at Tunbridge under the name of wheat-ears. By-the-bye, this is a pleasant corruption of white-a—se, the translation of the French name cul blanc, taken from their color; for they are actually white towards the tail."

Etymology

Uncertain. Probably a back-formation from Middle English whit ers (“white arse”), after the prominent white rump of many species. Compare dialect forms white rump, white-tail. Possibly a compound of wheat + ear or white + ear. Attested since the seventeenth century as wheat-ears or wheatgear.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: whit ers, whete-ere

Inflected Forms

wheatears (plural) white-ear (alternative)

Phrases

Atlas wheatear desert wheatear isabelline wheatear northern wheatear pied wheatear western black-eared wheatear wheatear stitch

Synonyms

clodhopper fallow-chat fallow-smiter

Questions

How do you pronounce wheatear?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʍiːtɪəɹ/.
What does wheatear mean?: Any of various passerine birds of the genus Oenanthe that feed on insects,
Where does wheatear come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce wheatear

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “wheatear”.
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