canary
[ kuh-nair-ee ]
/ kəˈnɛər i /
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noun, plural ca·nar·ies.
adjective
having the color canary.
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Origin of canary
1585–95; <Spanish (Isla) Canaria<Latin Canāria (insula) Dog (Island), equivalent to can(is) dog + -āria, feminine of -ārius-ary
Words nearby canary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for canary
British Dictionary definitions for canary
canary
/ (kəˈnɛərɪ) /
noun plural -naries
a small finch, Serinus canaria, of the Canary Islands and Azores: a popular cagebird noted for its singing. Wild canaries are streaked yellow and brown, but most domestic breeds are pure yellow
See canary yellow
Australian history a convict
archaic a sweet wine from the Canary Islands similar to Madeira
Word Origin for canary
C16: from Old Spanish canario of or from the Canary Islands
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with canary
canary
see look like the cat that ate the canary.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.