| any of several small, Old World, migratory birds of the thrush family, esp. Luscinia megarhynchos, of Europe, noted for the melodious song of the male, given chiefly at night during the breeding season. |

Nightingale Night·in·gale (nīt'n-gāl', nī'tĭng-), Florence. 1820-1910.
British nurse who organized (1854) and directed a unit of field nurses during the Crimean War and is considered the founder of modern nursing.