redbreast

[ red-brest ]

/ ˈrɛdˌbrɛst /

noun

the European robin, Erithacus rubecula.

the North American robin, Turdus migratorius.

any of various other birds, as a dowitcher or knot.

a freshwater sunfish, Lepomis auritus, of the eastern U.S.

Nearby words

Origin of redbreast

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at red¹, breast

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

Examples from the Web for redbreast

Imbrie asked with intolerable insolence: “Will you be my servant, Redbreast?”
The Woman from Outside|Hulbert Footner
Next came the Redbreast, whose decks were soon as crowded as the Snaefell's had been.
Tell England|Ernest Raymond
This bird is larger than his English cousin the Redbreast and many think has a finer note than any other of the Thrush family.
Birds Illustrated by Color Photograph, Volume 1, Number 2, February, 1897|anonymous
In Central Europe, where there is also no trace of a passion legend attached to the redbreast, he is held none the less sacred.
Donahoe's Magazine, Volume 15, No. 1, January 1886|Various

She had on a cosy jacket, a fur turban of some sort with a redbreast in it, and her cheeks were flushed from exertion.
The Old Peabody Pew|Kate Douglas Wiggin

British Dictionary definitions for redbreast

redbreast

/ (ˈrɛdˌbrɛst) /

noun

any of various birds having a red breast, esp the Old World robinSee robin (def. 1)

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

Word Origin and History for redbreast

redbreast

early 15c., of the English robin, from red (adj.1) + breast (n.). Later of the American bird.