mavis

[ mey-vis ]

/ ˈmeɪ vɪs /

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noun British (chiefly Literary).

a song thrush.

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Origin of mavis

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mavys, from Anglo-French mauviz, probably equivalent to ma(u)ve “seagull” (from Old English mæw a small gull; see mew²) + -iz of unclear origin

Words nearby mavis

mauvais quart d'heure, mauve, mauve decade, maven, maverick, mavis, Mavors, mavourneen, mavun, maw, mawger

Other definitions for mavis (2 of 2)

Mavis

[ mey-vis ]

/ ˈmeɪ vɪs /

noun

a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mavis in a sentence

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
“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|DAILY BEAST
“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|DAILY BEAST

Mavis Lilian Lever was born in Dulwich, south London, on May 5, 1921, the daughter of a postal worker and a seamstress.
Week in Death: The Woman Who Cracked Hitler’s Codes|The Telegraph|November 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A chilling thought struck him: was this what happened to the crew of the Mavis?
The Judas Valley|Gerald Vance
He thought of the bleached bones of the crew of the Mavis, and shuddered.
The Judas Valley|Gerald Vance
He never has those fine intervals of lunacy into which his cousins, the catbird and the mavis, are apt to fall.
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886|Ministry of Education
He bowed over it in courtly fashion,but did not kiss it as he had kissed the hand of Mavis Clare.
The Sorrows of Satan|Marie Corelli
With all her intellectual gifts she was yet a lovable woman,ah Mavis!how lovable and dear I was destined in misery to know!
The Sorrows of Satan|Marie Corelli

British Dictionary definitions for mavis

mavis

/ (ˈmeɪvɪs) /

noun

a popular name for the song thrush

Word Origin for mavis

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