house martin

noun

a small European swallow, Delichon urbica, that builds its nest under the eaves of houses.

Origin of house martin

First recorded in 1760–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for house martin

Historical Examples of house martin

They dip and wash as they fly sometimes, like the house-martin and swallow.
The Natural History of Selborne, Vol. 2
Gilbert White
The sand-martin, the house-martin's cousin, prefers the side of a cliff.
The Children's Book of London
Geraldine Edith Mitton
The house-martin's nest is more elaborate than the swallow's.
The Adventures of a Grain of Dust
Hallam Hawksworth
Undoubtedly they breed a second time, like the house-martin and swallow; and withdraw about Michaelmas.
The Natural History of Selborne, Vol. 2
Gilbert White
Instead of the clay-built nest of the house-martin, this bird bores horizontal galleries in an escarpment.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 7
Various

British Dictionary definitions for house martin

house martin

noun

a Eurasian swallow, Delichon urbica, with a slightly forked tail and a white and bluish-black plumage

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