willet

[ wil-it ]

/ ˈwɪl ɪt /

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noun, plural wil·lets, (especially collectively) wil·let.

a large, eastern North American shorebird, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, having a striking black and white wing pattern.

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Origin of willet

1700–10, Americanism; short for pill-will-willet, conventional imitative of its cry

Words nearby willet

Willem I, willemite, Willemstad, Willendorf, Willesden, willet, willful, William, William and Mary, William I, William II

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

How to use willet in a sentence

We revelled in its resemblance, or its fancied resemblance to the famous old hostelry kept by old John Willet.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
The willet, or stone curlew as it is sometimes called, is a resident species, breeding from Washington to Mexico.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast|Harry Thom Payne
Grandmamma would hardly let me pick up my kerchief, if I dropped it; I had to call Willet, her woman, to give it to me.
Out in the Forty-Five|Emily Sarah Holt
He had a twin brother, Willet, but he died when he was only five months old.
Harper's Young People, July 19, 1881|Various

Ridge and Pitt and Willet streets were quite steep and made splendid coasting places in winter.
A Little Girl of Long Ago|Amanda Millie Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for willet

willet

/ (ˈwɪlɪt) /

noun

a large American shore bird, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, having a long stout bill, long legs, and a grey plumage with black-and-white wings: family Scolopacidae (sandpipers, etc), order Charadriiformes

Word Origin for willet

short for pill-will-willet imitation of its cry

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