nightjar

[ nahyt-jahr ]

/ ˈnaɪtˌdʒɑr /

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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.

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Origin of nightjar

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

Words nearby nightjar

night heron, nightie, nightingale, Nightingale, Florence, Nightingale ward, nightjar, night jasmine, Night Journey, night key, night latch, night letter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use nightjar in a sentence

Then a nightjar began to hiss from among the rocks, and the stream to dash along more wildly.
Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents and Strange Events|S. Baring-Gould
The third nightjar, which also is confined chiefly to forest tracts, is known as Franklin's nightjar (C. monticolus).
A Bird Calendar for Northern India|Douglas Dewar
In addition to this note Horsfield's nightjar emits a low soft chur, chur, chur.
A Bird Calendar for Northern India|Douglas Dewar
This peculiar sound is responsible for the name nightjar, frequently given to this curious bird.
Bird Neighbors|Neltje Blanchan

There are very few birds in it; but the nightingale sings there all day and the nightjar sings there all night.
The Blue Rose Fairy Book|Maurice Baring

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