linnet
Americannoun
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a small Old World finch, Carduelis cannabina.
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any of various related birds, as the house finch.
noun
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a brownish Old World finch, Acanthis cannabina : the male has a red breast and forehead
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Also called: house finch. a similar and related North American bird, Carpodacus mexicanus
Etymology
Origin of linnet
1520–30; earlier linet < Middle French (Walloon, Picard ) linette ( French linot, linotte ), derivative of lin flax ( line 1; so named for its diet of flaxseeds); -et
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.
"He knew the hardship of farmers in the 1920s and 30s but he knew it was also incredibly beautiful; there was an amazing wild profusion of yellowhammers, nightingales, linnets, that are a rare sight today."
From BBC
Blending poetry, criticism and science, 24 humorous essays defend the life of beings from platypuses and linnets to photosynthetic bacteria.
From New York Times
Tinkling and whistling parties of linnets dance over the bushes.
From The Guardian
A startled linnet fled from the whirling blades towards the rose-garden.
From Literature
Louder yet calmer than they, among the trees, sounded the yellowhammer, the linnet and greenfinch.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
