wheatear

[ hweet-eer, weet- ]

/ ˈʰwitˌɪər, ˈwit- /

Save This Word!

noun

any of several small, chiefly Old World thrushes of the genus Oenanthe, having a distinctive white rump, especially O. oenanthe, of Eurasia and North America.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of wheatear

1585–95; probably back formation from wheatears, for *whiteers white rump. See white, arse

Words nearby wheatear

wheat, wheat beer, wheat berry, wheat bread, wheat cake, wheatear, wheaten, wheaten terrier, wheat germ, wheatgrass, Wheatley

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

How to use wheatear in a sentence

One would not expect to find a wheatear in a wood, or a wren in a reed-bed.
Birds in Flight|W. P. Pycraft
While talking, a wheatear flew past, and alighted near the path—a place they frequent.
Nature Near London|Richard Jefferies
They lie crushed together at the base, and on the point of this jagged ridge a wheatear perches.
Nature Near London|Richard Jefferies
There is not a quail, not a blackbird, not the smallest rabbit nor even the tiniest wheatear.
Tartarin de Tarascon|Alphonse Daudet

The sycamore by the ruined chancel pattered in the breeze, and the wheatear's last notes came from its top-most bough.
A Son of Hagar|Sir Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for wheatear

wheatear

/ (ˈwiːtˌɪə) /

noun

any small northern songbird of the genus Oenanthe, esp O. oenanthe, a species having a pale grey back, black wings and tail, white rump, and pale brown underparts: subfamily Turdinae (thrushes)

Word Origin for wheatear

C16: back formation from wheatears (wrongly taken as plural), probably from white + arse; compare Dutch witstaart, French culblanc white tail

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