Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
 
Help

spoonbill

 - 3 dictionary results

spoon⋅bill

[spoon-bil]
–noun
1. any of several wading birds of the family Plataleidae, related to the ibises, having a long, flat bill with a spoonlike tip.
2. any of various birds having a similar bill, as the shoveler duck.
3. the paddlefish.

Origin:
1670–80; spoon + bill 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To spoonbill
pad·dle·fish   (pād'l-fĭsh')   
n.   pl. paddlefish or pad·dle·fish·es
A fish of the family Polyodontidae, having a long paddle-shaped snout, especially Polyodon spathula of the Mississippi River basin. Also called spoonbill.
spoon·bill   (spōōn'bĭl')   
n.  
    1. Any of several long-legged wading birds of the genus Platalea, similar to the ibis but having a long, flat bill with a broadly spatulate tip.

    2. Any of various broad-billed ducks, such as the shoveler.

  1. See paddlefish.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see spoonbill on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: