avocet

[ av-uh-set ]

/ ˈæv əˌsɛt /

noun

any of several long-legged, web-footed shorebirds constituting the genus Recurvirostra, having a long, slender, upward-curving bill.

Nearby words

avn, avn., avo, avocado, avocation, avocet, avodire, avogadro, avogadro's constant, avogadro's law, avogadro's number

Origin of avocet

1760–70; < French avocette, probably erroneous spelling for New Latin avosetta < Italian < Upper Italian (< Venetian)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for avocet

Later, we experimented on many oological varieties, especially Stilt's and Avocet's eggs.
Wild Spain (Espaa agreste)|Abel Chapman
The nest of the Avocet is a very simple structure, generally made by placing a few blades of grass in a hole in the sand.
Reptiles and Birds|Louis Figuier
The American avocet breeds from Washington southward and spends its winters from central California south.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast|Harry Thom Payne
The angular fall-back of the bill is nearly as singular as the upturned one of the Avocet.
Egyptian Birds|Charles Whymper

The Avocet's bill is sharply curved upwards, and is one of the most remarkable of such organs.
An Australian Bird Book|John Albert Leach

British Dictionary definitions for avocet

avocet

/ (ˈævəˌsɛt) /

noun

any of several long-legged shore birds of the genus Recurvirostra, such as the European R. avosetta, having black-and-white plumage and a long upward-curving bill: family Recurvirostridae, order Charadriiformes

Word Origin for avocet

C18: from French avocette, from Italian avocetta, of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012