curlew
any of several shorebirds of the genus Numenius, having a long, slender, downcurved bill, as the common N. arquata, of Europe.
any of various similar birds.
Origin of curlew
1Words 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. WelshMore 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 StephensIt was at once set; and "The curlew" started on in the wake of the shower.
Left on Labrador | Charles Asbury StephensIt 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
/ (ˈkɜːljuː) /
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
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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