avocet

[ av-uh-set ]

/ ˈæv əˌsɛt /

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noun

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

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Origin of avocet

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

Words nearby avocet

A-V node, avo, avocado, avocado toast, avocation, avocet, avodire, Avogadro, Avogadro's constant, Avogadro's law, Avogadro's number

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use avocet in a sentence

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
Witness the experience of the Avocet on her voyage from Rotterdam.
The Fleets Behind the Fleet|W. MacNeile (William MacNeile) Dixon
Steering a careful course in a sea 'foul with floating mines,' the Cork steamship Avocet was attacked by three aeroplanes.
Merchantmen-at-Arms|David W. Bone
The use of the avocet's recurved bill is clearly explained by the manner in which the bird procures its food.
Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part 1 (of 2)|Arthur Cleveland Bent

The avocet is evidently possessed of a very keen sense of hearing.
Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part 1 (of 2)|Arthur Cleveland Bent

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