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stonechat

[ stohn-chat ]
/ ˈstoʊnˌtʃæt /
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noun

any of several small Old World birds, especially of the genus Saxicola, as S. torquata.

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Origin of stonechat

1775–85; stone + chat, so called from its warning cry which sounds like a clash of stones

Words nearby stonechat

stone-broke, stone bruise, stone canal, stonecast, stonecat, stonechat, stone china, stone-cold, stone crab, stonecrop, stonecrop family
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for stonechat

British Dictionary definitions for stonechat

stonechat
/ (ˈstəʊnˌtʃæt) /

noun

an Old World songbird, Saxicola torquata, having a black plumage with a reddish-brown breast: subfamily Turdinae (thrushes)

Word Origin for stonechat

C18: so called from its cry, which sounds like clattering pebbles
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
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