avocet

[av-uh-set]

noun

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

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

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

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