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• nightingale
  nightingale

  noun

  any of several small, Old World, migratory birds of the thrush family, especially Luscinia megarhynchos, of Europe, noted for the melodious song of the male, given chiefly at night during the breeding season.
• Nightingale
  Nightingale

  noun

  Florence the Lady with the Lamp, 1820–1910, English nurse: reformer of hospital conditions and procedures; reorganizer of nurse's training programs.

nightingale

¹ American  

[nahyt-n-geyl, nahy-ting-] / ˈnaɪt nˌgeɪl, ˈnaɪ tɪŋ- /

noun

1. any of several small, Old World, migratory birds of the thrush family, especially Luscinia megarhynchos, of Europe, noted for the melodious song of the male, given chiefly at night during the breeding season.

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Nightingale ² American  

[nahyt-n-geyl, nahy-ting-] / ˈnaɪt nˌgeɪl, ˈnaɪ tɪŋ- /

noun

1. Florence the Lady with the Lamp, 1820–1910, English nurse: reformer of hospital conditions and procedures; reorganizer of nurse's training programs.

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nightingale ¹ British  

/ ˈnaɪtɪŋˌɡeɪl /

noun

1. a brownish European songbird, Luscinia megarhynchos, with a broad reddish-brown tail: well known for its musical song, usually heard at night

2. any of various similar or related birds, such as Luscinia luscinia ( thrush nightingale )

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Nightingale ² British  

/ ˈnaɪtɪŋˌɡeɪl /

noun

1. Florence, known as the Lady with the Lamp. 1820–1910, English nurse, famous for her work during the Crimean War. She helped to raise the status and quality of the nursing profession and founded a training school for nurses in London (1860)

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Etymology

Origin of nightingale

1200–50; Middle English nightyngale, nasalized variant of nightegale, Old English nihtegale, cognate with German Nachtigall, literally, night singer (compare Old English galan sing; akin to yell )

Explanation

A nightingale is a very small bird with a beautiful, loud song. If you hear the distinctive whistles of the nightingale, it is most likely a male bird seeking a mate. Nightingales got their name because of the unattached male's habit of singing long into the night (although nightingales also sing during the day). Its song is distinctive and powerful, with trills, whistles, and gurgling sounds punctuating it. The nightingale has inspired writers of all sorts throughout history, including ancient Greeks, the poet Chaucer, and T.S. Eliot in "The Waste Land." The name nightingale combines night with the Proto-Germanic galon, "to sing."

Example Sentences

It is very close to other statues including those of Edward VII, Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War Memorial.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

Consumer psychologist Kate Nightingale says companies actually want customers to associate negative emotions with the cancellation process.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Previous banknotes have pictured other national figures including novelist Charles Dickens, physicist and chemist Michael Faraday, composer Edward Elgar, nurse Florence Nightingale and architect Christopher Wren.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

But this was the team's most successful Winter Olympics the moment Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale secured the second of those golds in the mixed team snowboard cross exactly a week ago.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

And what would it be like to be Raymie Nightingale?

From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo

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