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myna

or my·nah, mi·na, mi·nah

[mahy-nuh]
noun
  1. any of several Asian birds of the starling family Sturnidae, especially those of the genera Acridotheres and Gracula, certain species of which have the ability to mimic speech and are kept as pets.
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Origin of myna

First recorded in 1760–70, myna is from the Hindi word mainā
Can be confusedminer minor myna
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mynah

Historical Examples

  • There is a finish about the mynah's and the starling's mimicry which certainly beats that of the parrots.

    The Naturalist on the Thames

    C. J. Cornish

British Dictionary definitions for mynah

mynah

myna

noun
  1. any of various tropical Asian starlings of the genera Acridotheres, Gracula, etc, esp G. religiosa (see hill mynah), some of which can mimic human speech
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Word Origin

C18: from Hindi mainā, from Sanskrit madana
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 mynah

n.

type of passerine bird of India and the East, "talking starling," 1769, from Hindi maina "a starling," from Sanskrit madana- "delightful, joyful," related to madati "it gladdens," literally "it bubbles," from PIE root *mad- "moist, wet" (see mast (n.2).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper