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flamingo

[ fluh-ming-goh ]
/ fləˈmɪŋ goʊ /
|

noun, plural fla·min·gos, fla·min·goes.

any of several aquatic birds of the family Phoenicopteridae, having very long legs and neck, webbed feet, a bill bent downward at the tip, and pinkish to scarlet plumage.

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Nearby words

  1. flamethrower,
  2. flamines,
  3. flaming,
  4. flaming sword,
  5. flamingly,
  6. flamingo-flower,
  7. flaminian way,
  8. flamininus,
  9. flaminius,
  10. flammable

Origin of flamingo

1555–65; compare Portuguese flamengo, Spanish flamenco literally, Fleming (cf. flamenco); apparently originally a jocular name, from the conventional Romance image of the Flemish as ruddy-complexioned
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flamingo

British Dictionary definitions for flamingo

flamingo

/ (fləˈmɪŋɡəʊ) /

noun plural -gos or -goes

any large wading bird of the family Phoenicopteridae, having a pink-and-red plumage and downward-bent bill and inhabiting brackish lakes: order Ciconiiformes
  1. a reddish-orange colour
  2. (as adjective)flamingo gloves

Word Origin for flamingo

C16: from Portuguese flamengo, from Provençal flamenc, from Latin flamma flame + Germanic suffix -ing denoting descent from or membership of; compare -ing ³
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 flamingo

flamingo

n.

1560s, from Portuguese flamengo, Spanish flamengo, literally "flame-colored" (cf. Greek phoinikopteros "flamingo," literally "red-feathered"), from Provençal flamenc, from flama "flame" (see flame (n.)) + Germanic suffix -enc "-ing, belonging to."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper