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whydah

or whid·ah

[ hwid-uh, wid-uh ]
/ ˈʰwɪd ə, ˈwɪd ə /

noun

any of several small African finches of the subfamily Viduinae, the males of which have elongated, drooping tail feathers during the breeding season.
any of several African weaverbirds of the genus Euplectes, the males of which have similar long tails.

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Also called widow bird.

Origin of whydah

1775–85; alteration of widow (bird) to make name agree with that of a town in Benin, West Africa, one of its haunts

Words nearby whydah

whump, whup, WH-word, why, Whyalla, whydah, whydunnit, why'll, why're, why's, whys and wherefores
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for whydah

British Dictionary definitions for whydah

whydah

whidah

/ (ˈwɪdə) /

noun

any of various predominantly black African weaverbirds of the genus Vidua and related genera, the males of which grow very long tail feathers in the breeding seasonAlso called: whydah bird, whidah bird, widow bird

Word Origin for whydah

C18: after the name of a town in Benin
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