oscine

American  

[os-in, -ahyn] / ˈɒs ɪn, -aɪn /

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.

oscine British  

/ ˈɒsaɪn, ˈɒsɪn /

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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Other Word Forms

• nonoscine adjective

Etymology

Origin of oscine

1880–85, < New Latin Oscines name of the suborder, equivalent to Latin oscin- (stem of oscen ) songbird, originally 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