woodpecker

[woo d-pek-er]

noun

any of numerous climbing birds of the family Picidae, having a hard, chisellike bill that it hammers repeatedly into wood in search of insects, stiff tail feathers to assist in climbing, and usually more or less boldly patterned plumage.

Origin of woodpecker

First recorded in 1520–30; wood¹ + pecker

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for woodpecker

Contemporary Examples of woodpecker

The Texas native blasted the crew for being “hard as woodpecker lips.”
This is how Delta Air Lines Treats Disabled Veterans
Justin Green
December 14, 2012

Historical Examples of woodpecker

A woodpecker's telegraphy broke the quiet like a volley of pistol shots.
The Gentleman From Indiana
Booth Tarkington
No woodpecker can make his home in absolutely solid sapwood.
The Meaning of Evolution
Samuel Christian Schmucker
But little better is the arrangement which the woodpecker calls a home.
The Meaning of Evolution
Samuel Christian Schmucker
A red stick was sent to each one, not forgetting the woodpecker and his family.
The Indian Fairy Book
Cornelius Mathews
"He ought not to go without his supper," said the woodpecker.
The Indian Fairy Book
Cornelius Mathews

British Dictionary definitions for woodpecker

woodpecker

noun

any climbing bird of the family Picidae, typically having a brightly coloured plumage and strong chisel-like bill with which they bore into trees for insects: order Piciformes

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

Word Origin and History for woodpecker

1520s, from wood (n.) + pecker.