either of two corvine birds, Pica pica(black-billed magpie), of Eurasia and North America, or P. nuttalli(yellow-billed magpie), of California, having long, graduated tails, black-and-white plumage, and noisy, mischievous habits.
2.
any of several related corvine birds.
3.
any of several black-and-white birds not related to the true magpies, as Gymnorhina tibicen, of Australia.
4.
an incessantly talkative person; noisy chatterer; chatterbox.
5.
a person who collects or hoards things, esp. indiscriminately.
6.
Western U.S.a black-and-white cow or steer, as a Holstein.
Any of various birds of the family Corvidae found worldwide, having a long graduated tail and black, blue, or green plumage with white markings and noted for their chattering call. The species Pica pica, the black-billed magpie, is widespread in the Northern Hemisphere. Also called pie2.
Any of various birds resembling the magpie, such as the Australian bell magpie of the family Cracticidae.
A person who chatters.
One who compulsively collects or hoards small objects.
[Mag, a name used in proverbs about chatterers (a nickname for Margaret) + pie2.]
1605, common European bird, known for its chattering, earlier simply pie; first element from Mag, nickname for Margaret, long used in Eng. proverbial and slang senses for qualities associated generally with women, especially in this case "idle chattering" (cf. Magge tales "tall tales, nonsense," c.1410; also Fr. margot "magpie," from Margot, pet form of Marguerite). Second element, pie, is the earlier name of the bird, from O.Fr. pie, from L. pica "magpie," fem. of picus "woodpecker," possibly from PIE base *pi-, denoting pointedness, of the beak, perhaps, but the magpie also has a long, pointed tail. The birds are proverbial for pilfering and hoarding, can be taught to speak, and have been regarded since the Middle Ages as a bird of ill omen.
"Whan pyes chatter vpon a house it is a sygne of ryghte euyll tydynges." [1507]
Divination by number of magpies is attested from c.1780 in Lincolnshire; the rhyme varies from place to place, the only consistency being that one is bad, two are good.
Mag"pie\, n. [OE. & Prov. E. magot pie, maggoty pie, fr. Mag, Maggot, equiv. to Margaret, and fr. F. Marquerite, and common name of the magpie. Marguerite is fr. L. margarita pearl, Gr. ?, prob. of Eastern origin. See Pie magpie, and cf. the analogous names Tomtit, and Jackdaw.] (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of the genus Pica and related genera, allied to the jays, but having a long graduated tail. Note: The common European magpie (Pica pica, or P. caudata) is a black and white noisy and mischievous bird. It can be taught to speak. The American magpie (P. Hudsonica) is very similar. The yellow-belled magpie (P. Nuttalli) inhabits California. The blue magpie (Cyanopolius Cooki) inhabits Spain. Other allied species are found in Asia. The Tasmanian and Australian magpies are crow shrikes, as the white magpie (Gymnorhina organicum), the black magpie (Strepera fuliginosa), and the Australian magpie (Cracticus picatus). Magpie lark (Zo["o]l.), a common Australian bird (Grallina picata), conspicuously marked with black and white; -- called also little magpie. Magpie moth (Zo["o]l.), a black and white European geometrid moth (Abraxas grossulariata); the harlequin moth. Its larva feeds on currant and gooseberry bushes.
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