broadbill

American  

[brawd-bil] / ˈbrɔdˌbɪl /

noun

1. any of several small, often brightly colored passerine birds of the family Eurylaimidae, of the Old World tropics, having a broad, flattened bill.

2. any of various birds with a broad bill, as the scaup duck, shoveler, and spoonbill.

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broadbill British  

/ ˈbrɔːdˌbɪl /

noun

1. any passerine bird of the family Eurylaimidae , of tropical Africa and Asia, having bright plumage and a short wide bill

2. any of various wide-billed birds, such as the scaup and shoveler

3. another name for swordfish

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Etymology

Origin of broadbill

First recorded in 1625–35; broad + bill ²

Example Sentences

The deep-dwelling swordfish has evolved eyes as big as silver dollars, and the Cyalume lights up the squid to attract the foraging broadbill.

From Time Magazine Archive

Most spectacular of Atlantic game fish are the swordfish family: sailfish, marlin, broadbill.

From Time Magazine Archive

The broadbill has a surprisingly soft mouth, for all his size, which makes setting a hook firmly as much a matter of luck as skill.

From Time Magazine Archive

Month ago his strapping widow hooked a 450-lb. broadbill south of Fire Island at 9 a. m. one day.

From Time Magazine Archive

It could have been a marlin or a broadbill or a shark.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway