wryneck

[ rahy-nek ]

/ ˈraɪˌnɛk /

noun

Informal.

torticollis.
a person having torticollis.

any of several small Old World climbing birds of the subfamily Jynginae, of the woodpecker family, noted for the peculiar habit of twisting the head and neck.

Nearby words

wry, wry-necked, wrybill, wryly, wrymouth, wryneck, ws, wsa, wssd, wst, wsw

Origin of wryneck

First recorded in 1575–85; wry + neck

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

Examples from the Web for wryneck

One species only visits that country; hence Indians may indulge in the luxury of speaking of it as the wryneck.
Glimpses of Indian Birds|Douglas Dewar
The wryneck derives its name from a curious habit it has of twisting its neck as it seeks for insects on a tree-trunk or mound.
Glimpses of Indian Birds|Douglas Dewar
During the talk that followed I asked him if he knew the wryneck, and if it ever nested in his orchard.
Birds in Town and Village|W. H. Hudson
A wryneck made fast to it by a little chain, and by springing from spoke to spoke kept it in continual motion.
Uarda, Complete|Georg Ebers

The 'vile squeaking of the wryneck'd fife' is of some musical interest.
Shakespeare and Music|Edward W. Naylor

British Dictionary definitions for wryneck

wryneck

/ (ˈraɪˌnɛk) /

noun

either of two cryptically coloured Old World woodpeckers, Jynx torquilla or J. ruficollis, which do not drum on trees

another name for torticollis

informal a person who has a twisted neck

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

wryneck

noun

Nearby words

Origin of wryneck

Examples from the Web for wryneck

British Dictionary definitions for wryneck

wryneck

noun

Medicine definitions for wryneck

wryneck

n.