blackbird
noun
- heraldic animal
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈblakbəːd/ / /ˈblækˌbɚd/
noun
Etymology: From Middle English blakebird, blacbrid (“ouzel; Eurasian blackbird”), equivalent to black + bird.
- A common true thrush, Turdus merula, found in woods and gardens over much of Eurasia, and introduced elsewhere.
- A variety of New World birds of the family Icteridae (26 species of icterid bird).
- A native of the South Pacific islands.
verb
Etymology: From Middle English blakebird, blacbrid (“ouzel; Eurasian blackbird”), equivalent to black + bird.
- 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.””