sand martin

noun British.

the bank swallow.

Nearby words

sand lance, sand leek, sand lily, sand lizard, sand lovegrass, sand martin, sand myrtle, sand painting, sand pear, sand perch, sand pile

Origin of sand martin

First recorded in 1660–70

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

Examples from the Web for sand martin

Another inhabitant of the banks is the sand-martin, which also likes company in the work of raising a family.
Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa|David Livingstone
The sand-martin, the house-martin's cousin, prefers the side of a cliff.
The Children's Book of London|Geraldine Edith Mitton
The Indian sand-martin (Cotile sinensis) is, I believe, the smallest of the swallow tribe.
Jungle Folk|Douglas Dewar
Perhaps the word "build" is scarcely the right one, inasmuch as the nest is even more simple than that of the sand-martin.
Bible Animals;|J. G. Wood

The sand-martin has several broods in the year, and is more regular than other Hirundinidae in its departure for the south.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for sand martin

sand martin

noun

a small brown European songbird, Riparia riparia, with white underparts: it nests in tunnels bored in sand, river banks, etc: family Hirundinidae (swallows and martins)

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

sand martin

noun British.

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Nearby words

Origin of sand martin

Examples from the Web for sand martin

British Dictionary definitions for sand martin

sand martin

noun