flamingo

[ fluh-ming-goh ]

/ fləˈmɪŋ goʊ /

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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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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

Words nearby flamingo

flame test, flamethrower, flame tree, flame war, flaming, flamingo, flamingo-flower, flaming sword, Flaminian Way, Flamininus, Flaminius

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use flamingo in a sentence

I had never seen flamingos in the wild and marveled at their staccato ballet, long legs emerging from a salt pond.
In France, Narbonne takes a turn in the international spotlight|Sylvie Bigar|October 29, 2021|Washington Post
Greater flamingos apparently aren’t fans of a sun-faded look for their neck feathers.
Flamingos dye their sun-faded feathers to stay pretty in pink|Rebecca Dzombak|October 26, 2021|Science News
That got Maria Cecilia Chiale, a biologist at Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Argentina, wondering if flamingos lose their color without constant reapplication of the serum.
Flamingos dye their sun-faded feathers to stay pretty in pink|Rebecca Dzombak|October 26, 2021|Science News
When flamingos preen, they care for their feathers a bit like how we care for our hair, cleaning out accumulated dirt and parasites.
Flamingos dye their sun-faded feathers to stay pretty in pink|Rebecca Dzombak|October 26, 2021|Science News

Unicorns, flamingos and butterflies became staples of Instagram feeds.
Food-shaped pool floats are getting ridiculous, with waffles, sushi and Crunchwraps|Emily Heil|July 8, 2021|Washington Post
The sex symbol and ‘Flamingo Road’ star knows more about Syria and science than you do—and she can handle herself in war zones.
Morgan Fairchild: Badass Foreign Policy Wonk|Asawin Suebsaeng|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Animal prints abounded: snakeskin booties, leopard-print hot pants, zebra-printed flamingo skirts.
Rodarte’s Ode to Los Angeles|Isabel Wilkinson|September 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Marie Osmond, who performs at the Flamingo with her brother Donny, describes what it was like trick-or-treating last Halloween.
Can Celine Dion Save Vegas?|Tony Doukopil, Ramin Setoodeh|March 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST
After a moment' pause she continued: "He told you all about the race which Flamingo lost, and about that letter."
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete|Gilbert Parker
I saw a flamingo rise from the river, and it flew over the Helen Mar, like a ghost, trailing its legs.
The Belted Seas|Arthur Colton
The legs of the flamingo are so long, that the bird is unable to double them up and sit upon his nest in the usual fashion.
Out on the Pampas|G. A. Henty
Several species from the Solenhofen Slate have the neck long and slender, on the type of the Flamingo.
Dragons of the Air|H. G. Seeley
A venerable apologue attaches to the nesting habit of the flamingo.
Unexplored Spain|Abel Chapman

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

a reddish-orange colour
(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