chickadee

[ chik-uh-dee ]

/ ˈtʃɪk əˌdi /

noun

any of several North American birds of the genus Parus, of the titmouse family, especially P. atricapillus (black-capped chickadee), having the throat and top of the head black.

Nearby words

chichén itzá, chick, chick flick, chick lit, chickabiddy, chickadee, chickahominy, chickamauga, chickaree, chickasaw, chickasawhay

Origin of chickadee

First recorded in 1820–30; imitative

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

Examples from the Web for chickadee

Then, on the 27th, as I sat at my desk, a chickadee chirped outside.
The Foot-path Way|Bradford Torrey
If his cousin the hairy and his neighbor the chickadee come and eat with him, bid them a hearty welcome.
The Woodpeckers|Fannie Hardy Eckstorm
The chickadee turns that bead-like eye of his in all directions incessantly, lest something seize him while he is not looking.
The Wit of a Duck and Other Papers|John Burroughs
Not a crow, nor a jay, nor a chickadee had heart enough to cheep.
Roof and Meadow|Dallas Lore Sharp

What good luck must have come to the chickadee race during the preceding summer?
The Log of the Sun|William Beebe

British Dictionary definitions for chickadee

chickadee

/ (ˈtʃɪkəˌdiː) /

noun

any of various small North American songbirds of the genus Parus, such as P. atricapillus (black-capped chickadee), typically having grey-and-black plumage: family Paridae (titmice)

Word Origin for chickadee

C19: imitative of its note

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