jacamar

American

[jak-uh-mahr] / ˈdʒæk əˌmɑr /

noun

any tropical American bird of the family Galbulidae, having a long bill and usually metallic green plumage above.

jacamar British

/ ˈdʒækəˌmɑː /

noun

any bird of the tropical American family Galbulidae , having an iridescent plumage and feeding on insects: order Piciformes (woodpeckers, etc)

"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 jacamar

1640–50; < French < Tupi jacamáciri

Vocabulary lists containing jacamar

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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.

"That must be a jacamar," said Herbert, trying to get nearer.

From The Mysterious Island by Verne, Jules

There are four species of jacamar in Demerara; they are all beautiful; the largest, rich and superb in the extreme.

From Wanderings in South America by Waterton, Charles

And there was I, in a yellow gown with green embroideries, gay as a jacamar, jarring hideously on myself.

From Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story by Beerbohm, Max, Sir

Its name amongst the Indians is una-waya-adoucati, that is, grandfather of the jacamar.

From Wanderings in South America by Waterton, Charles

Early in January the jacamar is in fine plumage for the cabinet of the naturalist.

From Wanderings in South America by Waterton, Charles

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