nightjar

[ nahyt-jahr ]

/ ˈnaɪtˌdʒɑr /

noun

a nocturnal European bird, Caprimulgus europaeus, of the family Caprimulgidae, having a short bill and a wide mouth and feeding on insects captured in the air.

Also called goatsucker. any other nocturnal or crepuscular bird of the family Caprimulgidae.

Nearby words

nighthawk, nightie, nightingale, nightingale ward, nightingale, florence, nightjar, nightlife, nightlong, nightly, nightmare, nightmarish

Origin of nightjar

1620–30; night + jar² (from its harsh cry)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nightjar

"Like going from the nightingale to the nightjar," said Arabella.
Sandra Belloni, Complete|George Meredith
Horsfield's nightjar (C. macrurus) is perhaps not sufficiently abundant on the Nilgiris to deserve mention in this essay.
Birds of the Indian Hills|Douglas Dewar
The Nightjar breeds in May or June, a little later in the north than in the south.
Among the Birds in Northern Shires|Charles Dixon
And out of the distance the nightjar set again to its churring.
Memoirs of a Midget|Walter de la Mare

But we have lingered too long already with the Nightjar, and must pass on to a notice of other birds upon the heath.
Among the Birds in Northern Shires|Charles Dixon

British Dictionary definitions for nightjar

nightjar

/ (ˈnaɪtˌdʒɑː) /

noun

any nocturnal bird of the family Caprimulgidae, esp Caprimulgus europaeus (European nightjar): order Caprimulgiformes. They have a cryptic plumage and large eyes and feed on insects

Word Origin for nightjar

C17: night + jar ², so called from its discordant cry

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 nightjar

nightjar

nocturnal bird, goatsucker, 1620s, from night + jar (v.). So called for the "jarring" sounds made by the male when the female is brooding, which have been described as a "churring trill that seems to change direction as it rises and falls." An Old English word for it was nihthræfn "night raven."