helldiver

American

[hel-dahy-ver] / ˈhɛlˌdaɪ vər /

noun

a grebe, especially the pied-billed grebe.

helldiver British

/ ˈhɛlˌdaɪvə /

noun

Also called: pied-billed grebe. dabchick. informal a small greyish-brown North American grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, with a small bill

"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 helldiver

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; hell + diver

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

helldiver

Perhaps the most striking is the pied kingfisher, commonly called a helldiver, with its black and white plumage, shaggy topknot and slender beak.

From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023