grackle

[ grak-uhl ]

/ ˈgræk əl /

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noun

any of several long-tailed American birds of the family Icteridae, especially of the genus Quiscalus, having usually iridescent black plumage.

any of several Old World birds of the family Sturnidae, especially certain mynas.

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Origin of grackle

1765–75; <New Latin Gracula name of genus, based on Latin grāculus jackdaw

Words nearby grackle

gracilis, gracioso, gracious, graciously, graciousness, grackle, grad, gradability, gradable, gradate, gradatim

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

How to use grackle in a sentence

Bronzed Grackle (æneus), with a purple head and usually a brassy back.
Bird Guide: Land Birds East of the Rockies|Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed
The Great-tailed Grackle (macrourus), found in Texas, is still larger.
Bird Guide: Land Birds East of the Rockies|Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed
This giant Grackle frequents lakes, lagoons and bays, where it feeds along the shore or among aquatic plants.
What Bird is That?|Frank M. Chapman
Now come two black-coated cousins, the purple grackle and shoulder-strapped redwing of the blackbird family.
Birds and Nature Vol. 11 No. 4 [April 1902]|Various

The purple grackle is said to eat corn, and also the eggs and young of other birds.
The Children's Book of Birds|Olive Thorne Miller

British Dictionary definitions for grackle

grackle

/ (ˈɡrækəl) /

noun

Also called: crow blackbird any American songbird of the genera Quiscalus and Cassidix, having a dark iridescent plumage: family Icteridae (American orioles)

any of various starlings of the genus Gracula, such as G. religiosa (Indian grackle or hill mynah)

Word Origin for grackle

C18: from New Latin Grācula, from Latin grāculus jackdaw

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