flamingo

[fluh-ming-goh] Origin

fla·min·go

[fluh-ming-goh]
noun, plural fla·min·gos, fla·min·goes.
any of several aquatic birds of the family Phoenicopteridae, having very long legs and neck, webbed feet, a bill bent downward at the tip, and pinkish to scarlet plumage.

Origin:
1555–65; compare Portuguese flamengo, Spanish flamenco literally, Fleming (compare flamenco); apparently originally a jocular name, from the conventional Romance image of the Flemish as ruddy-complexioned
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Flamingo is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
Collins
World English Dictionary
flamingo (fləˈmɪŋɡəʊ)
 
n , pl -gos, -goes
1.  any large wading bird of the family Phoenicopteridae, having a pink-and-red plumage and downward-bent bill and inhabiting brackish lakes: order Ciconiiformes
2.  a.  a reddish-orange colour
 b.  (as adjective): flamingo gloves
 
[C16: from Portuguese flamengo, from Provençal flamenc, from Latin flamma flame + Germanic suffix -ing denoting descent from or membership of; compare -ing³]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

flamingo
1565, from Port. flamengo, Sp. flamengo, lit. "flame-colored" (cf Gk. phoinikopteros "flamingo," lit. "red-feathered"), from Prov. flamenc, from flama "flame" + Gmc. suffix -enc "-ing, belonging to."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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