phalarope

[ fal-uh-rohp ]

/ ˈfæl əˌroʊp /

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noun

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

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Origin of phalarope

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

Words nearby phalarope

Phalangist, phalansterian, phalansterianism, phalanstery, phalanx, phalarope, phalera, phallectomy, phallic, phallicism, phallic phase

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

How to use phalarope in a sentence

The Grey Phalarope, without being one of our rarest birds, is not of irregular occurrence.
British Birds in their Haunts|Rev. C. A. Johns
We cannot well leave these fresh-water lochs without a passing glance at the Red-necked Phalarope.
Among the Birds in Northern Shires|Charles Dixon
Some partridges (tetrao saliceti), ducks, and a flat-billed phalarope (P. fulicarius) were shot.
Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Arctic Sea in 1846 and 1847|John Rae
The nest of the red phalarope is built either on dry ground or over shallow grass-grown water and is well concealed.
Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part 1 (of 2)|Arthur Cleveland Bent

If the fly escaped, the phalarope sometimes ran after it, bill out.
Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part 1 (of 2)|Arthur Cleveland Bent

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