mavis
noun
a song thrush.
mavis
1 American
[mey-vis]
/ ˈmeɪ vɪs /
noun
British (chiefly Literary).
Mavis
2
American
[mey-vis]
/ ˈmeɪ vɪs /
noun
mavis
British
/ ˈmeɪvɪs /
noun
Etymology
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 mew 2) + -iz of unclear origin
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.
I am lingering longer with the mavis than probably I ought, simply because I want you all to love the bird as I love him.
From Aileen Aroon, A Memoir With other Tales of Faithful Friends and Favourites by Stables, Gordon
That tree would then be green, the air fresh and sweet around it, the mavis singing in its leafy shade.
From The Island of Gold A Sailor's Yarn by Stables, Gordon
The mavis or speckled thrush is not only loud and bold in his tones, but he is what you might term a singer of humorous songs.
From Aileen Aroon, A Memoir With other Tales of Faithful Friends and Favourites by Stables, Gordon
I have known my mavis now nearly two years, and I think he knows me.
From Aileen Aroon, A Memoir With other Tales of Faithful Friends and Favourites by Stables, Gordon
The mavis will sing in the thorn-tree, dewy with fragrance, where Motherwell now stands ... or Anderston.
From Victory out of Ruin by Maclean, Norman
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.
