nidifugous

American

[nahy-dif-yuh-guhs] / naɪˈdɪf yə gəs /

adjective

leaving the nest shortly after hatching.

nidifugous British

/ nɪˈdɪfjʊɡəs /

adjective

(of young birds) leaving the nest very soon after hatching

"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

Etymology

Origin of nidifugous

1900–05; < Latin nīd- (stem of nīdus ) nest + -i- -i- + fug ( ere ) to flee, take flight + -ous

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.

Order Anseriformes.—Desmognathous, nidifugous; with two pairs of sterno-tracheal muscles, with complete basipterygoid processes and with a penis.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023