tropic bird

or trop·ic·bird

noun

any of several web-footed seabirds of the family Phaethontidae, chiefly of tropical seas, having white plumage with black markings and a pair of greatly elongated central tail feathers.

Origin of tropic bird

First recorded in 1675–85

Also called boatswain bird.

Words Nearby tropic bird

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tropic bird in a sentence

Five minutes later, Mr. Gibney was aboard the tropic bird and had presented himself at her master's cabin.
Captain Scraggs | Peter B. Kyne
Like the albatross and the tropic-bird, forever on the wing, For them nor night nor breaking morn may peace nor shelter bring.
War Poetry of the South | Various
At this time, we saw a tropic-bird, and a dolphin, the first that we had observed during the passage.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 16 | Robert Kerr
She was like a tropic bird seen amid the scant foliage of northern hills.
Wayside Courtships | Hamlin Garland
He could hardly ride back to Tai-o-hae, and he departed with the tropic bird without saying another word to any one.
White Shadows in the South Seas | Frederick O'Brien

British Dictionary definitions for tropicbird

tropicbird

/ (ˈtrɒpɪkˌbɜːd) /

noun

any aquatic bird of the tropical family Phaethontidae, having long slender tail feathers and a white plumage with black markings: order Pelecaniformes (pelicans, cormorants, etc)

Origin of tropicbird

C17: so called because it is found in the tropical regions

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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