Birdseye

[burdz-ahy]

noun

Clarence,1886–1956, U.S. inventor and businessman: developer of food-freezing process.

bird's-eye

[burdz-ahy]

adjective

seen from above, as by a bird in flight; panoramic: a bird's-eye view of the city.

omitting many details; hasty; superficial; general: a bird's-eye view of ancient history.

having spots or markings resembling the eyes of a bird: bird's-eye tweed.

noun, plural bird's-eyes.

any of various plants having small, round, bright-colored flowers, as a primrose, Primula farinosa, or a speedwell, Veronica chamaedrys.

Textiles.

a woven, allover pattern on fabrics, characterized chiefly by small diamond shapes resembling the eyes of a bird.
a fabric having this pattern, especially a cotton used for diapers or a linen used for toweling.

Origin of bird's-eye

First recorded in 1590–1600; bird + 's¹ + eye

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

Related Words for birdseye

scenic, across-the-board, broad, thorough, wholesale, comprehensive, radical, extensive, exhaustive, all-encompassing, full, complete, exaggerated, blanket, overall, general, all-around, all-inclusive, far-reaching, all-embracing

Examples from the Web for birdseye

Contemporary Examples of birdseye

Birdseye walked away with a personal profit of about $1 million and an annual salary of $50,000 to continue his experiments.
Lillian Hellman, Clarence Birdseye and Thai Jones: Must Read Nonfiction
Victoria Beale, Wendy Smith, Kevin Canfield
May 17, 2012
And that was what Birdseye wanted to do; his interest in fast-freezing was as a means to an end.
Lillian Hellman, Clarence Birdseye and Thai Jones: Must Read Nonfiction
Victoria Beale, Wendy Smith, Kevin Canfield
May 17, 2012

Historical Examples of birdseye

The ladies got a birdseye view of his caricatures in progress.
The Confessions of a Caricaturist, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Harry Furniss
These forms of wood are known as birdseye, curly, and blister maple.
American Forest Trees
Henry H. Gibson
The figure is as handsome as in eastern maple, but birdseye is less frequent.
American Forest Trees
Henry H. Gibson
Laura's meek answer was, "Yes, Miss Birdseye; will you walk in?"
Bentley's Miscellany, Volume II
Various
Certainly not, Pink Egg, certainly not, reassured Mr. Birdseye.
Local Color
Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for birdseye

bird's-eye

adjective

seen or photographed from high above
summarizing the main points of a topic; summary (esp in the phrase bird's-eye view)

having markings resembling birds' eyes

noun

bird's-eye primrose a Eurasian primrose, Primula farinosa, having clusters of purplish flowers with yellow centres

bird's-eye speedwell the usual US name for germander speedwell

any of several other plants having flowers of two contrasting colours

a pattern in linen and cotton fabrics, made up of small diamond shapes with a dot in the centre of each

a linen or cotton fabric with such a pattern

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