purple martin

American  

noun

1. a large American swallow, Progne subis, the male of which is blue-black.

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Etymology

Origin of purple martin

An Americanism dating back to 1735–45

Example Sentences

Before he even parked, Prum was calling out the names of birds he glimpsed or heard through the car window: osprey, purple martin, red-winged blackbird.

From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2019

The purple martin is a large, broad-winged swallow of sumptuous royal blue with a gurgling liquid song.

From The Guardian • Jul. 27, 2013

I don't know how stupid a man can get, but when he can't tell a purple martin from a starling that's got to be getting close to the record.

From Time Magazine Archive

There is not a sound in nature so cheering and animating as the song of the purple martin, and none so well calculated to drive away melancholy.

From McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader by McGuffey, William Holmes

Among swallows, the beautiful and graceful purple martin is most worthy of protection.

From Checking the Waste A Study in Conservation by Gregory, Mary Huston