thrush

¹ American  

[thruhsh] / θrʌʃ /

noun

1. any of numerous, medium-sized songbirds of the family Turdinae, usually dull brown and often speckled below, and including many outstanding singers.

2. any of various superficially similar birds, as the water thrushes.

3. Slang. a female professional singer, especially of popular songs.

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thrush ² American  

[thruhsh] / θrʌʃ /

noun

1. Pathology. a disease, especially in children, characterized by whitish spots and ulcers on the membranes of the mouth, fauces, etc., caused by a parasitic fungus, Candida albicans.

2. Veterinary Pathology. (in horses) a diseased condition of the frog of the foot.

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thrush ¹ British  

/ θrʌʃ /

noun

1. 1. a fungal disease of the mouth, esp of infants, and the genitals, characterized by the formation of whitish spots and caused by infection with the fungus Candida albicans

   2. another word for sprue 1

2. a softening of the frog of a horse's hoof characterized by degeneration and a thick foul discharge

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thrush ² British  

/ θrʌʃ /

noun

1. any songbird of the subfamily Turdinae, esp those having a brown plumage with a spotted breast, such as the mistle thrush and song thrush: family Muscicapidae Compare water thrush

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thrush Scientific  

/ thrŭsh /

1. An infectious disease, caused by the fungus Candida albicans, characterized by small whitish eruptions on the mouth, throat, and tongue, and sometimes accompanied by fever, colic, and diarrhea. Thrush is most often seen in infants, children, and people with impaired immune systems.

2. A degenerative condition of a horse's foot, usually caused by unhygienic management.

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Other Word Forms

• thrushlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of thrush¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English thrusche, Old English thrȳsce; cognate with Old High German drōsca

Origin of thrush²

First recorded in 1655–65; akin to Danish tröske, Swedish torsk

Explanation

A thrush is a small brown or gray speckled songbird. Thrushes are known for their loud, musical songs. There are two main meanings of the noun thrush, with two completely different origins. The thrush that flies around singing a lovely song gets its name from a Germanic root, while another thrush, a type of infection, comes from a Scandinavian source. This second thrush is a yeasty fungal infection that's common in the mouth and throat of babies, appearing as distinct white patches.

Example Sentences

He said GPs can also misdiagnose the cancer as the yeast infection thrush, and it is not until weeks of treatment have passed that the patient is referred to hospital.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

And on April 26, a person retroactively reported spotting a blue rock thrush in Seaside in January.

From Seattle Times • May 2, 2024

The holiday weekend traffic on I-5 had slowed to a crawl, the thrush of cars inching toward SeaTac airport moving at a painfully slow pace.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 30, 2023

It’s summer, and veery thrush birds have nearly finished mating and hatching this year’s generation throughout the northern U.S. and southern Canada.

From National Geographic • Jul. 28, 2023

A thrush had alighted on a bough not five meters away, almost at the level of their faces.

From "1984" by George Orwell