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oscine

[os-in, -ahyn]
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adjective
  1. of, belonging to, or pertaining to the suborder Oscines, of the order Passeriformes, comprising the songbirds that have highly developed vocal organs.
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noun
  1. an oscine bird.
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Origin of oscine

1880–85, Americanism; < New Latin Oscines name of the suborder, equivalent to Latin oscin- (stem of oscen) songbird, orig. bird that gives omens by its cry (o(b)s-, variant of ob- ob- + -cin-, stem of -cen, noun derivative of canere to sing) + -es nominative plural noun suffix
Related formsnon·os·cine, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for oscine

oscine

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Oscines, a suborder of passerine birds that includes most of the songbirds
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Word Origin

C17: via New Latin from Latin oscen singing bird
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