mavis

[mey-vis]

noun British (chiefly Literary ).

a song thrush.

Origin of mavis

1350–1400; Middle English mavys < Anglo-French mauviz, probably equivalent to ma(u)ve seagull (< Old English mæw mew²) + -iz of unclear orig.

Mavis

[mey-vis]

noun

a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mavis

Contemporary Examples

The most astonishing came from Ron and Mavis Pirola, a middle-aged Australian couple who have been together for 57 years.
The Vatican's Same-Sex Synod: The Bishops Hear About Reality. Do They Listen?
Barbie Latza Nadeau
October 12, 2014
Ryan Adams, Mavis Staples and Band of Horses are some of the artists to perform.
The Best Summer Music Festivals
Marina Watts
May 19, 2014
“The marvellous thing about him was that he played it extremely cool,” Mavis said.
Week in Death: The Woman Who Cracked Hitler’s Codes
The Telegraph
November 17, 2013
“He pretended he was just going to have the weekend off and made sure the Japanese spy would pass it all back,” Mavis recalled.
Week in Death: The Woman Who Cracked Hitler’s Codes
The Telegraph
November 17, 2013
“It was a strange little outfit in the cottage,” Mavis said.
Week in Death: The Woman Who Cracked Hitler’s Codes
The Telegraph
November 17, 2013

Historical Examples

The second engineer of the steamer Mavis, for instance, ought to have been his twin brother.
A Personal Record
Joseph Conrad
What Canadian birds could be substituted for the mavis and the cuckoo?
Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Literature
Ontario Ministry of Education
“Indeed there are and quite delicious”—Mrs. Mavis largely wiped her mouth.
The Patagonia
Henry James
Of course in such a case she, Mrs. Mavis, had had to fly round.
The Patagonia
Henry James
A chilling thought struck him: was this what happened to the crew of the Mavis?
The Judas Valley
Gerald Vance

British Dictionary definitions for mavis

mavis

noun

a popular name for the song thrush

Word Origin

C14: from Old French mauvis thrush; origin obscure

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

Word Origin and History for mavis

n.

"song thrush," c.1400, mavys, from Old French mauvis, of unknown origin; related to Spanish malvis. Breton milfid is a French loan word.

mavis

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}mavis

Mavis

Examples from the Web for mavis

Contemporary Examples

The most astonishing came from Ron and Mavis Pirola, a middle-aged Australian couple who have been together for 57 years.

Ryan Adams, Mavis Staples and Band of Horses are some of the artists to perform.

“The marvellous thing about him was that he played it extremely cool,” Mavis said.

“He pretended he was just going to have the weekend off and made sure the Japanese spy would pass it all back,” Mavis recalled.

“It was a strange little outfit in the cottage,” Mavis said.

Historical Examples

The second engineer of the steamer Mavis, for instance, ought to have been his twin brother.

What Canadian birds could be substituted for the mavis and the cuckoo?

“Indeed there are and quite delicious”—Mrs. Mavis largely wiped her mouth.

Of course in such a case she, Mrs. Mavis, had had to fly round.

A chilling thought struck him: was this what happened to the crew of the Mavis?

mavis

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for mavis

n.

Origin of mavis