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drongo

1
[ drong-goh ]
/ ˈdrɒŋ goʊ /
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noun, plural dron·gos.
any passerine bird of the family Dicruridae, of Africa, Asia, and Australia, the several species usually having black plumage and long, forked tails.
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Origin of drongo

1
Borrowed into English from Malagasy around 1835–45

Other definitions for drongo (2 of 2)

drongo2
[ drong-goh ]
/ ˈdrɒŋ goʊ /

noun, plural dron·gos.Australian Slang.
a stupid or slow-witted person; simpleton.

Origin of drongo

2
1920–25; probably to be identified with drongo1, as a name for the Australian bird Dicrurus bracteata; though often popularly alleged to have originated from the name of an unsuccessful racehorse of the 1920s
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use drongo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for drongo

drongo
/ (ˈdrɒŋɡəʊ) /

noun plural -gos
Also called: drongo shrike any insectivorous songbird of the family Dicruridae, of the Old World tropics, having a glossy black plumage, a forked tail, and a stout bill
Australian and NZ slang a slow-witted person
Australian informal a new recruit in the Royal Australian Air Force

Word Origin for drongo

C19: from Malagasy
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
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