phalarope

[ fal-uh-rohp ]

/ ˈfæl əˌroʊp /

noun

any of three species of small, aquatic birds of the family Phalaropodidae, resembling sandpipers but having lobate toes.

Nearby words

Origin of phalarope

1770–80; < French < New Latin Phalaropus genus name < Greek phalār(ís) coot + -o- -o- + -pous -footed; see -pod

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

Examples from the Web for phalarope

Along the shores of Fond du Lac we descry a long-legged wader, the phalarope.
The New North|Agnes Deans Cameron
This phalarope is one of the most beautiful of all our shore birds, and is the most southerly distributed of the phalaropes.
Bird Guide|Chester A. Reed
Though not exactly web-footed, the phalarope swims with the greatest ease.
Love's Meinie|John Ruskin
The gyrfalcon can certainly not catch a phalarope in flight.
Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part 1 (of 2)|Arthur Cleveland Bent

It may thus be inferred that the pairing habits of this Phalarope are most singular, the female conducting the courtship!
British Sea Birds|Charles Dixon

British Dictionary definitions for phalarope

phalarope

/ (ˈfæləˌrəʊp) /

noun

any aquatic shore bird of the family Phalaropidae, such as Phalaropus fulicarius (grey phalarope), of northern oceans and lakes, having a long slender bill and lobed toes: order Charadriiformes

Word Origin for phalarope

C18: via French from New Latin Phalaropus, from Greek phalaris coot + pous foot

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