pratincole

American

[prat-ing-kohl, prat-n-] / ˈpræt ɪŋˌkoʊl, ˈpræt n- /

noun

any of several limicoline birds of the genus Glareola, of the Eastern Hemisphere, having a short bill, long, narrow, pointed wings, and a forked tail.

pratincole British

/ ˈprætɪŋˌkəʊl, ˈpreɪ- /

noun

any of various swallow-like shore birds of the southern Old World genus Glareola and related genera, esp G. pratincola, having long pointed wings, short legs, and a short bill: family Glareolidae, order Charadriiformes

"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

Etymology

Origin of pratincole

< New Latin Pratincola (1756) genus name, equivalent to Latin prāt ( um ) meadow + incola inhabitant ( see in- ², -colous)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023