bird of paradise

noun

any of several passerine birds of the family Paradisaeidae, of New Guinea and adjacent islands, the males of which have ornate, colorful plumage.

Origin of bird of paradise

First recorded in 1600–10

Words Nearby bird of paradise

Other definitions for bird-of-paradise (2 of 3)

bird-of-paradise

[ burd-uhv-par-uh-dahys, -dahyz ]

noun,plural birds-of-paradise.

Also called bird-of-paradise flower. any of several plants of the genus Strelitzia, native to southern Africa, especially S. reginae, having a large, showy orange and blue inflorescence.
a small tree or shrub, Caesalpinia (Poinciana) gilliesii, native to South America, having featherlike leaves and showy yellow flowers with red stamens.

Origin of bird-of-paradise

First recorded in 1880–85

Other definitions for Bird of Paradise (3 of 3)

Bird of Paradise

nounAstronomy.

the constellation Apus.

Origin of Bird of Paradise

First recorded in 1650–60

How to use bird of paradise in a sentence

To visit Makassar without buying bird-of-paradise plumes, she said, would be like visiting Japan without buying a kimono.
Where the Strange Trails Go Down | E. Alexander Powell
I suspect that the sweetheart of one of our Filipino cabin-boys is now wearing a hat fairly smothered in bird-of-paradise plumes.
Where the Strange Trails Go Down | E. Alexander Powell
No beautifulest Poet is a Bird-of-Paradise, living on perfumes; sleeping in the æther with outspread wings.
Past and Present | Thomas Carlyle
Several of them had behind each ear a long, slender bird-of-Paradise feather.
With the World's Great Travellers, Volume 2 | Various
Each of the fascinating vagabonds is attended by a bird-of-paradise-colored dog, with a crimson tail waggingly depicted.
The Shirley Letters from California Mines in 1851-52 | Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe

British Dictionary definitions for bird of paradise

bird of paradise

noun

any songbird of the family Paradisaeidae of New Guinea and neighbouring regions, the males of which have brilliantly coloured ornate plumage
bird-of-paradise flower any of various banana-like plants of the genus Strelitzia, esp S. reginae, that are native to tropical southern Africa and South America and have purple bracts and large orange or yellow flowers resembling birds' heads: family Strelitziaceae

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

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