nightingale

¹ American  

[nahyt-n-geyl, nahy-ting-] / ˈnaɪt nˌgeɪl, ˈnaɪ tɪŋ- /

noun

1. any of several small, Old World, migratory birds of the thrush family, especially Luscinia megarhynchos, of Europe, noted for the melodious song of the male, given chiefly at night during the breeding season.

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Nightingale ² American  

[nahyt-n-geyl, nahy-ting-] / ˈnaɪt nˌgeɪl, ˈnaɪ tɪŋ- /

noun

1. Florence the Lady with the Lamp, 1820–1910, English nurse: reformer of hospital conditions and procedures; reorganizer of nurse's training programs.

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nightingale ¹ British  

/ ˈnaɪtɪŋˌɡeɪl /

noun

1. a brownish European songbird, Luscinia megarhynchos, with a broad reddish-brown tail: well known for its musical song, usually heard at night

2. any of various similar or related birds, such as Luscinia luscinia ( thrush nightingale )

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Nightingale ² British  

/ ˈnaɪtɪŋˌɡeɪl /

noun

1. Florence, known as the Lady with the Lamp. 1820–1910, English nurse, famous for her work during the Crimean War. She helped to raise the status and quality of the nursing profession and founded a training school for nurses in London (1860)

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Etymology

Origin of nightingale

1200–50; Middle English nightyngale, nasalized variant of nightegale, Old English nihtegale, cognate with German Nachtigall, literally, night singer (compare Old English galan sing; akin to yell )

Explanation

A nightingale is a very small bird with a beautiful, loud song. If you hear the distinctive whistles of the nightingale, it is most likely a male bird seeking a mate. Nightingales got their name because of the unattached male's habit of singing long into the night (although nightingales also sing during the day). Its song is distinctive and powerful, with trills, whistles, and gurgling sounds punctuating it. The nightingale has inspired writers of all sorts throughout history, including ancient Greeks, the poet Chaucer, and T.S. Eliot in "The Waste Land." The name nightingale combines night with the Proto-Germanic galon, "to sing."

Example Sentences

Just as the familiar tune “In the Hall of the Mountain King” gradually builds speed “accelerando,” as the compositional notation is known, some birdsong does too, like that of the nightingale.

From New York Times • Jun. 6, 2023

I wonder if even Janet Malcolm might have given a pass to this devoted biographer and his own bow to a nightingale.

From Washington Post • Mar. 3, 2023

It was on Hampstead Heath that John Keats pondered the beauty of nature, nightingale song and mortality.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2021

Animals have always come and gone, medieval wolves, later Keats’ nightingale, later still a rare wallaby, spotted bounding through the trees in spring 2019.

From The Guardian • Mar. 5, 2020

“Billy, my Billy, gave it to me soon after we met. Said it was a nightingale, like me. We then put it into the story.”

From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick

Related Words

• artist
• crooner
• diva
• musician
• soloist
• vocalist
• voice