passenger pigeon

noun

an extinct pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius, once found in great numbers in North America, noted for its sustained migratory flights.

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.

Question 1 of 13

How do you say “cat” 🐈 in Spanish?

gato/gata

cato/cata

gatto/gatta

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of passenger pigeon

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805

Words nearby passenger pigeon

passel, passement, passementerie, passenger, passenger mile, passenger pigeon, passe-partout, passepied, passer, passerby, passeriform

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for passenger pigeon

The passenger-pigeon, or wild pigeon of North America, is remarkable for two reasons.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History|Theodore Wood
The cougar is well-known to frequent the great roosts of the passenger-pigeon, and is fond of the flesh of these birds.
The Hunters' Feast|Mayne Reid
Notwithstanding the disparity in size and color, he has certain peculiarities that remind one of the Passenger-pigeon.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 15, No. 91, May, 1865|Various
We observed the passenger-pigeon and some small fresh-water shells of the species of unios and anadontas.
Personal Memoirs Of A Residence Of Thirty Years With The Indian Tribes On The American Frontiers|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

The horrible stories of the butchery of the fur-seals and the passenger-pigeon need not be recited.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History|Theodore Wood

British Dictionary definitions for passenger pigeon

passenger pigeon

noun

a gregarious North American pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius: became extinct at the beginning of the 20th century

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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

passenger pigeon

noun

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Origin of passenger pigeon

Words nearby passenger pigeon

Example sentences from the Web for passenger pigeon

British Dictionary definitions for passenger pigeon

noun