drongo

1
[ drong-goh ]

noun,plural dron·gos.
  1. any passerine bird of the family Dicruridae, of Africa, Asia, and Australia, the several species usually having black plumage and long, forked tails.

Origin of drongo

1
Borrowed into English from Malagasy around 1835–45

Other definitions for drongo (2 of 2)

drongo2
[ drong-goh ]

noun,plural dron·gos.Australian Slang.
  1. a stupid or slow-witted person; simpleton.

Origin of drongo

2
1920–25; probably to be identified with drongo1, as a name for the Australian bird Dicrurus bracteata; though often popularly alleged to have originated from the name of an unsuccessful racehorse of the 1920s

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use drongo in a sentence

  • The nesting habits of both the white-bellied and the white-vented drongos are very similar to those of the common king crow.

    Jungle Folk | Douglas Dewar
  • No sight is commoner in India than that of a pair of little drongos (Dicrurus ater) chasing a kite or a crow.

    Glimpses of Indian Birds | Douglas Dewar
  • All drongos with white underparts that occur in India are Dicrurus cærulescens.

    Jungle Folk | Douglas Dewar
  • The assemblage is noisy, for two or three drongos cannot meet without making a clatter on the subject of the moment.

    Tropic Days | E. J. Banfield
  • Of the less ornamental drongos, the king crow is the best-known example.

    Jungle Folk | Douglas Dewar

British Dictionary definitions for drongo

drongo

/ (ˈdrɒŋɡəʊ) /


nounplural -gos
  1. Also called: drongo shrike any insectivorous songbird of the family Dicruridae, of the Old World tropics, having a glossy black plumage, a forked tail, and a stout bill

  2. Australian and NZ slang a slow-witted person

  1. Australian informal a new recruit in the Royal Australian Air Force

Origin of drongo

1
C19: from Malagasy

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