chickadee

[chik-uh-dee]

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.

Origin of chickadee

First recorded in 1820–30; imitative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for chickadee

Historical Examples of chickadee

Then, on the 27th, as I sat at my desk, a chickadee chirped outside.
The Foot-path Way
Bradford Torrey
The chickadee, on the other hand, seldom gets mention as a singer.
Birds in the Bush
Bradford Torrey
How came the chickadee by his endless fund of happy spirits?
Birds in the Bush
Bradford Torrey
It was a revelation to me that a chickadee could possibly sit still so long.
Birds in the Bush
Bradford Torrey
This may be well illustrated by a comparison of the chickadee with the brown thrush.
Birds in the Bush
Bradford Torrey

British Dictionary definitions for chickadee

chickadee

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

Word Origin and History for chickadee

black-capped titmouse, 1834, American English, echoic of its cry.