hummingbird

[huhm-ing-burd]

noun

1. a very small nectar-sipping New World bird of the family Trochilidae, characterized by the brilliant, iridescent plumage of the male, a slender bill, and narrow wings, the extremely rapid beating of which produces a humming humming sound: noted for their ability to hover and to fly upward, downward, and backward in a horizontal position.

hummingbird

/ ˈhʌmɪŋˌbɜːd /

noun

1. any very small American bird of the family Trochilidae, having a brilliant iridescent plumage, long slender bill, and wings specialized for very powerful vibrating flight: order Apodiformes

Word History and Origins

Origin of hummingbird¹

An Americanism dating back to 1625–35; humming + bird

Example Sentences

A quest to photograph every species of hummingbird.

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“We were chasing one out of town and the bear actually stopped mid chase, grabbed a hummingbird feeder in this person’s front yard and literally just downed it,” she recalled.

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Gray-green Hollywood Flame fuchsia are just starting to bloom in long red tubes that are irresistible to hummingbirds.

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Near Winter’s home in Studio City sits a small riverside park shaded by cottonwood trees, where the native plants attract hummingbirds.

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Other studies have shown that bees use static forces to gather pollen, flower mites cling to hummingbirds using electrostatic attraction, and ballooning spiders rely on charged silk to drift across long distances.

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