curlew

[ kur-loo ]
See synonyms for curlew on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of several shorebirds of the genus Numenius, having a long, slender, downcurved bill, as the common N. arquata, of Europe.

  2. any of various similar birds.

Origin of curlew

1
1300–50; Middle English <Anglo-French curleu, cognate with Middle French corleu; perhaps imitative

Words Nearby curlew

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

How to use curlew in a sentence

  • A low call came from a brooding curlew, a faint sigh from a plover, and the wild rasping cry of a lapwing greeted them overhead.

    The Underworld | James C. Welsh
  • More than once at night the cry of migrating waders was heard, curlew being unmistakable, and (I think) bar-tailed godwit.

    Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921 | Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
  • "The curlew" dashed forward, rising and falling with the swells.

    Left on Labrador | Charles Asbury Stephens
  • It was at once set; and "The curlew" started on in the wake of the shower.

    Left on Labrador | Charles Asbury Stephens
  • It ain't as if 'The curlew' was loaded down, and lay low in the water.

    Left on Labrador | Charles Asbury Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for curlew

curlew

/ (ˈkɜːljuː) /


noun
  1. any large shore bird of the genus Numenius, such as N. arquata of Europe and Asia: family Scolopacidae (sandpipers, etc), order Charadriiformes. They have a long downward-curving bill and occur in northern and arctic regions: Compare stone curlew

Origin of curlew

1
C14: from Old French corlieu, perhaps of imitative origin

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