killdeer

[ kil-deer ]

/ ˈkɪlˌdɪər /

noun

an American plover, Charadrius vociferus, having two black bands around the upper breast.

Nearby words

kill with kindness, kill-joy, kill-time, killarney, killdee, killdeer, killeen, killer, killer app, killer application, killer bars

Origin of killdeer

An Americanism dating back to 1725–35; imitative

Also called killdeer plover.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for killdeer

All along, the killdeer were darting about, calling loudly and piercingly.
Across the Continent by the Lincoln Highway|Effie Price Gladding
A killdeer sweeping the lake close two o'clock one morning awakened him.
The Harvester|Gene Stratton Porter
The Killdeer is so called on account of the cry which it utters; it resembles "kill-dee, kill-dee."
Endurance Test|Alan Douglas
The scout seized "Killdeer" in his left hand, and elevating it above his head, he shook it in triumph at his enemies.
The Last of the Mohicans|James Fenimore Cooper

The killdeer plovers are as noisy in the park as they are in an eastern pasture-field, and almost as plentiful.
Birds of the Rockies|Leander Sylvester Keyser

British Dictionary definitions for killdeer

killdeer

/ (ˈkɪlˌdɪə) /

noun plural -deer or -deers

a large brown-and-white North American plover, Charadrius vociferus, with two black breast bands and a noisy cry

Word Origin for killdeer

C18: of imitative origin

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