bird's-nest soup

noun

a Chinese soup made from the mucilaginous lining of the nests of the Asiatic swift.

Nearby words

bird's-foot violet, bird's-nest, bird's-nest fern, bird's-nest fungus, bird's-nest orchid, bird's-nest soup, bird-brained, bird-breeder's lung, bird-catcher tree, bird-dog, bird-footed dinosaur

Origin of bird's-nest soup

First recorded in 1870–75

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

British Dictionary definitions for bird's-nest soup

bird's-nest soup

noun

a rich spicy Chinese soup made from the outer part of the nests of SE Asian swifts of the genus Collocalia

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