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blackbird

noun

  1. heraldic animal
L30243 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈblakbəːd/ / /ˈblækˌbɚd/

noun

Etymology: From Middle English blakebird, blacbrid (“ouzel; Eurasian blackbird”), equivalent to black + bird.

  1. A common true thrush, Turdus merula, found in woods and gardens over much of Eurasia, and introduced elsewhere.
  2. A variety of New World birds of the family Icteridae (26 species of icterid bird).
  3. A native of the South Pacific islands.

verb

Etymology: From Middle English blakebird, blacbrid (“ouzel; Eurasian blackbird”), equivalent to black + bird.

  1. To enslave someone, especially through chicanery or force

    “At the same time, island communities — especially in coastal areas, where the effect of population loss was often enormous — sometimes retaliated against blackbirding raids.”