butcherbird

[ booch-er-burd ]

/ ˈbʊtʃ ərˌbɜrd /

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noun

any of various shrikes of the genus Lanius, which impale their prey upon thorns.

any of several large, carnivorous birds of the genus Cracticus, of Australia and New Guinea, having shrikelike habits.

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Origin of butcherbird

First recorded in 1660–70; butcher + bird

Words nearby butcherbird

butanol, butanone, Butazolidin, butch, butcher, butcherbird, butcher block, butcher knife, butcher linen, butcherly, butcher paper

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use butcherbird in a sentence

The determination and fierce resolution of the shrike, or butcherbird, despite his small size, is most marked.
Nature Near London|Richard Jefferies

British Dictionary definitions for butcherbird

butcherbird

/ (ˈbʊtʃəˌbɜːd) /

noun

a shrike, esp one of the genus Lanius

any of several Australian magpies of the genus Cracticus that impale their prey on thorns

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