whippoorwill
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See also: whip-poor-will
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Imitative of its note.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈʍɪp.ɚˌwɪl/, /ˈwɪp.ɚˌwɪl/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈwɪp.əˌwɪl/
- Hyphenation: whip‧poor‧will
Noun[edit]
whippoorwill (plural whippoorwills)
- A nocturnal insectivorous bird of North America (Antrostomus vociferus, syn. Caprimulgus vociferus), a type of nightjar, named after its characteristic call.
- 1952, Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, Penguin Books (2014), page 55:
- “Seems like I heard a whippoorwill callinʼ, and I thought to myself, Go on away from here, weʼll whip ole Will when we find him.”
- The distinctive call of the above bird.
- The bird sang his whippoorwills all night.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
bird
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See also[edit]
References[edit]
- “whippoorwill”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.