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sparrow
[ spar-oh ]
/ ËspĂŠr oÊ /
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noun
any of numerous American finches of the family Emberizinae.Compare chipping sparrow, song sparrow.
any member of the Old World genus Passer, formerly thought to be closely related to the weaverbirds but now placed in their own family, Passeridae.
British. the house sparrow.
any of several other unrelated small birds.Compare Java sparrow, hedge sparrow.
(initial capital letter)Military. a 12-foot (4-meter), all-weather, radar-guided U.S. air-to-air missile with an 88-pound (40-kilogram) high-explosive warhead.
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Origin of sparrow
First recorded before 900; Middle English sparowe, Old English spearwa; cognate with Gothic sparwa, Old Norse spǫrr
OTHER WORDS FROM sparrow
spar·row·less, adjectivespar·row·like, adjectiveWords nearby sparrow
spark transmitter, sparky, sparling, sparoid, sparring partner, sparrow, sparrowfart, sparrowgrass, sparrow hawk, sparry, sparse
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use sparrow in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for sparrow
sparrow
/ (ËspĂŠrÉÊ) /
noun
any weaverbird of the genus Passer and related genera, esp the house sparrow, having a brown or grey plumage and feeding on seeds or insects
US and Canadian any of various North American finches, such as the chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina), that have a dullish streaked plumage
Other words from sparrow
Related adjective: passerineDerived forms of sparrow
sparrow-like, adjectiveWord Origin for sparrow
Old English spearwa; related to Old Norse spörr, Old High German sparo
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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