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godwit

American  
[god-wit] / ˈgɒd wɪt /

noun

  1. any of several large, widely distributed shorebirds of the genus Limosa, as the New World L. haemastica Hudsonian godwit, having a long bill that curves upward slightly.


godwit British  
/ ˈɡɒdwɪt /

noun

  1. any large shore bird of the genus Limosa, of northern and arctic regions, having long legs and a long upturned bill: family Scolopacidae (sandpipers, etc), order Charadriiformes

"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

Etymology

Origin of godwit

First recorded in 1545–55; of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Imagine you are a young Bar-tailed Godwit, a large, leggy shorebird with a long, probing bill hatched on the tundra of Alaska.

From Scientific American • Mar. 15, 2022

Now in its 13th year, the poll pits the country’s rare and endangered birds against one another: the cheeky Kea versus the shy Kiwi, the dowdy Bar Tailed Godwit against the alluring Hihi.

From The Guardian • Oct. 20, 2017

Others have a more obvious connection: late in "Lost Someone", the reader realises that they already know how the story will end, since it is a different perspective on the events narrated in "Godwit".

From The Guardian • Jan. 19, 2013

A curious mode of behaviour of the Curlew, Whimbrel, and Godwit demonstrates this, for it must be the outcome of the necessity for constant watchfulness.

From Territory in Bird Life by Howard, H. Eliot

The Yarwhelp is the name by which the Black-tailed Godwit, a species which formerly nested in abundance in the marshes about Horsey and some adjacent localities in the Broads, was known.

From Notes and Letters on the Natural History of Norfolk More Especially on the Birds and Fishes by Browne, Thomas, Sir

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