magpie

[ mag-pahy ]

/ ˈmægˌpaɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR magpie ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

either of two corvine birds, Pica pica (black-billed magpie), of Eurasia and North America, or P. nuttalli (yellow-billed magpie), of California, having long, graduated tails, black-and-white plumage, and noisy, mischievous habits.

any of several related corvine birds.

any of several black-and-white birds not related to the true magpies, as Gymnorhina tibicen, of Australia.

an incessantly talkative person; noisy chatterer; chatterbox.

a person who collects or hoards things, especially indiscriminately.

Western U.S. a black-and-white cow or steer, as a Holstein.

Nearby words

magnus annus, magnus effect, magnus hitch, magog, magot, magpie, magpie goose, magpie lark, magpie moth, magr, magritte

Origin of magpie

1595–1605; Mag Margaret + pie²

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

Examples from the Web for magpie

Television is a magpie, and it will take back to its stuffed nest whatever shiny things it can find.
The Fascist Historian and Me|Guy Walters|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, he was more of a magpie, listening to what came before and incorporating it into his own inimitable music.
J.J. Cale, Dead at 74, Was a Songwriter Beyond Compare|Malcolm Jones|July 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And best of all, the empty chatter of the magpie Mrs. Hanway-Harley—who knows nothing, being a fool!
The President|Alfred Henry Lewis
On the following day the Magpie called for the kettle they had borrowed.
The Myths of the North American Indians|Lewis Spence

He let her slip to the ground, and then assisted her to mount Magpie, and thus they rode slowly back to camp.
Ted Strong in Montana|Edward C. Taylor
Then the magpie got angry and said: "One's enough, I tell you!"
Good Stories For Great Holidays|Frances Jenkins Olcott
On going up to the bush they discovered a magpie crouched among the leaves.
The Romany Rye|George Borrow

British Dictionary definitions for magpie

magpie

/ (ˈmæɡˌpaɪ) /

noun

any of various passerine birds of the genus Pica, esp P. pica, having a black-and-white plumage, long tail, and a chattering call: family Corvidae (crows, etc)

any of various similar birds of the Australian family CracticidaeSee also butcherbird (def. 2)

any of various other similar or related birds

(often capital) a variety of domestic fancy pigeon typically having black-and-white markings

British a person who hoards small objects

a person who chatters

the outmost ring but one on a target
a shot that hits this ring

Word Origin for magpie

C17: from Mag diminutive of Margaret, used to signify a chatterbox + pie ²

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

magpie

noun

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Origin of magpie

Examples from the Web for magpie

British Dictionary definitions for magpie

magpie

noun

Word Origin for magpie