bird of paradise

¹ American  

noun

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

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bird-of-paradise ² American  

[burd-uhv-par-uh-dahys, -dahyz] / ˈbɜrd əvˈpær əˌdaɪs, -ˌdaɪz /

noun

plural

birds-of-paradise

1. 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.

2. a small tree or shrub, Caesalpinia (Poinciana ) gilliesii, native to South America, having featherlike leaves and showy yellow flowers with red stamens.

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Bird of Paradise ³ American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. the constellation Apus.

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bird of paradise British  

noun

1. any songbird of the family Paradisaeidae of New Guinea and neighbouring regions, the males of which have brilliantly coloured ornate plumage

2. 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

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Etymology

Origin of bird of paradise¹

First recorded in 1600–10

Origin of bird-of-paradise²

First recorded in 1880–85

Origin of Bird of Paradise³

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

This was how the bird of paradise first made itself known to me.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2024

Over the weekend, a middle school teacher, Kahealani David, 41, and her 12-year-old daughter, Vaihere, brought bird of paradise flowers as an offering to leave on the cooled lava from previous eruptions.

From New York Times • Dec. 9, 2022

The only decorations were a few plants he’d picked up at Trader Joe’s — a bird of paradise, two money trees — along with a white board that was blank as the decor.

From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2022

The striking and dramatic bird of paradise, the official city flower, like so much of our local flora, is imported — borrowed — from elsewhere; in this case, South Africa.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2021

Then she flies past the rows of gangly bird of paradise, past the pawpaw tree with ripening fruit, and loses a sandal taking the three front steps in an inelegant leap.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García