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woodpecker

[ wood-pek-er ]
/ ˈwʊdˌpɛk ər /

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.

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Origin of woodpecker

First recorded in 1520–30; wood1 + pecker

Words nearby woodpecker

wood mouse, woodnote, wood nymph, wood opal, wood owl, woodpecker, wood pewee, wood pigeon, woodpile, wood pitch, wood preservative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for woodpecker

British Dictionary definitions for woodpecker

woodpecker
/ (ˈwʊdˌpɛkə) /

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