flamingo

[fluh-ming-goh]

noun

plural

flamingos, flamingoes 

1. 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.

flamingo

/ fləˈmɪŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. any large wading bird of the family Phoenicopteridae , having a pink-and-red plumage and downward-bent bill and inhabiting brackish lakes: order Ciconiiformes

2. 1. a reddish-orange colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      flamingo gloves

Word History and Origins

Origin of flamingo¹

1555–65; compare Portuguese flamengo, Spanish flamenco literally, Fleming ( flamenco ); apparently originally a jocular name, from the conventional Romance image of the Flemish as ruddy-complexioned

Word History and Origins

Origin of flamingo¹

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

Example Sentences

Then he arrived at the end of the row, where Pinky and Pinky Too sat, pink as a pair of flamingoes.

Read more on Literature

“Think how you’ll grieve for all you’ll leave behind,” she sings to a herd of otters, koalas, flamingos, giraffes, bunnies and kangaroos fleeing Oz for the safety of the Yellow Brick Underground Railroad.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Missing Cornwall flamingo appears to be living her best life in France.

Read more on MarketWatch

Paradise Park director Nick Reynolds said there was a colony of greater flamingos in southern France and "the best scenario would be that Frankie goes and finds them and lives out her life with them".

Read more on BBC

A flamingo is "on the run" after escaping from a wildlife sanctuary in Cornwall.

Read more on BBC