woodpecker
[woo d-pek-er]
- 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.
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Origin of woodpecker
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for woodpecker
Contemporary Examples
The Texas native blasted the crew for being “hard as woodpecker lips.”
Historical Examples
A woodpecker's telegraphy broke the quiet like a volley of pistol shots.
The Gentleman From IndianaBooth Tarkington
No woodpecker can make his home in absolutely solid sapwood.
The Meaning of EvolutionSamuel Christian Schmucker
But little better is the arrangement which the woodpecker calls a home.
The Meaning of EvolutionSamuel Christian Schmucker
A red stick was sent to each one, not forgetting the woodpecker and his family.
The Indian Fairy BookCornelius Mathews
"He ought not to go without his supper," said the woodpecker.
The Indian Fairy BookCornelius Mathews
woodpecker
- 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
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for woodpecker
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper